Connections Magazine - Queen Margaret`s School

Transcription

Annual Fund
Here are just a few examples of how the
Annual Fund has benefited QMS students since 2012.
Thank you for your continued support.
QMS CONNECTIONS ISSUE 3 SEPTEMBER 2015
20142015
• Field trips
• Mr. Organic
(gardening program for Primary)
• Deer Fencing around
the student gardens
Connect and Create
ISSUE 3 SEPTEMBER 2015
• AED machine
• Professional
Development for staff
20122013
• Technology cart with 20
laptops for Junior School
• New curtains for Founders’
Hall stage
20132014
• Timpanic drum set
• Leadership & Service
opportunities for students
• Professional Development
for staff
• Refurbishment of
Senior School Student
Advising Centre
• Campus improvement
projects
• Professional
660 Brownsey Avenue
Duncan, British Columbia
V9L 1C2 CANADA
250.746.4185
IN THIS ISSUE
Educating for the Future
Learning in Another Language
Working in an Ebola Diagnostic Lab in Sierra Leone
Annual Fund Report
This marks the third year of our Annual Fund, and I am very proud of how our QMS community
has consistently and generously continued to contribute.
To the alumni, parents, Board of Governors, faculty and staff, students and community members who work with the
school—thank you for your strong, steady support of our vision.
It is a well known fact that many independent schools rely on annual funds to provide opportunities for programming that are beyond the capacity of fees. This year, I have been able to use the Head’s Fund to purchase a new AED
machine for our campus, provide experiential learning opportunities for students of all ages, invite David Friend (a.k.a.,
Mr. Organic) to our Primary Garden to inspire and educate our young students, and help our staff and faculty take
advantage of some exciting professional development opportunities.
Thank you for your contributions.
EDUCATIONAL
TECHNOLOGY
Andrew & Olivia Boudreau
Ryan & Emily Clements
Susan Cruikshank*
Dr. Paul & Laura Hagen*
Dominic Smith*
Trina Sxwithul’txw
Andrew & Stephanie Young
Xiaowo Zhan & Ying Chen*
Yiming Zu & Quan Han
HEAD’S FUND
Adage Studio
Hon. Suzanne Anton (‘70)
Glen & Tracy Arden*
Ellen Arndt*
Annaliese Atkins*
Kirstin Bains*
Sandra Bakker*
Darren & Heather Bartfai*
Juan Becerra & Nancy Wilson*
Joan Blackhall (’47)*
Charles & Dola Boas*
France Bournazel
Paul Ceyssens*
Christine Compton*
Debbie Cook
Erin Coulson & Cezar Cristea
Roddy & Carrie Craig*
Susan Cruikshank*
Manj & Gurdeep Dale *
Peter & Victoria Davidson
Mary DeLury
Qi Dong & Shuai Feng*
John Dryden &
Elizabeth Abercrombie (’88)
Dr. Dan Duta &
Dina Holbrook*
Jessie Fraser*
Shiv Garyali*
Frank Gordon
Dr. Mark & Stephanie Gibbs*
R. Allan Gould*
Chad & Tammy Gurski
H&M Auto
Stefan & Susanne Hedler
Lucy Herzig*
David & Jillian Hutchison*
Christopher Jackson &
Michelle Adams
Andy & Wilma Jamieson*
Tao Ji & Meiyu Song
Xiao Jiang & Zhifang Zhao*
Leif & Lori Johansen
Cam & Maria Jones*
Cheryl Keith*
Dr. Vivan Kilvert (’91)*
Serena Kolida (’01)
James & Tracy Leung
Xinhuan Li
Linda Love*
Danna Lu*
Dexter & Celina Mason*
Heather Matson (’64)
Dave Mayo*
Scott & Rebecca McKay*
Bruce McPherson*
Sarah Mellings*
Devon Munro &
Kirsty Grant (’85)*
Carol Newington*
M. Ann North (’46)*
Thomas Nowlin*
Iqbal Parekh &
Maria de Lordes Parekh*
Judith Parsons*
David & Hayley Picard*
Maureen Poscente*
Mike & Sandra Potter*
Jianhua Ren & Min Luo
Jane Richmond*
Scott Rigby*
Dr. Kurt Ritter & Tian Hao Cai
Sue Ryan*
Chris & Leanne Schultz*
Julie Scurr*
Patti Small*
Ryan & Candice Smith*
Surjinder & Colleen Johel*
David Simpson &
Tasamine Davies (’87)*
Neil & Rose Tanner
Leigh Taylor*
Derek Thomas*
Gordon Tuck &
Jennifer Pelton*
Tobias & Deborah Staley
Hsing Hua Tso
Karen Webber*
Qian Wan & Ya Fang Liu
Yanmin Xiao & Yanming Li
Stephanie & Andrew Young*
Weiwen Zhang &
Xuehua Duan
Jun Zhao & Hui Kong*
Yiming Zu & Quan Han*
OTHER –
RESIDENCE PROGRAM
Weibing Deng & Yan Qu*
Rachel Devlin*
SCHOLARSHIPS/BURSARIES
Angela Andersen*
Christine Bone (’50)*
Graeme Campbell*
Ming Ling Chan
Peter Gosling*
Jan Green
Tze Kin Leung &
Wai Ching Yeung Leung
Virginia (Ginny) Lowrie (’58)*
Bruce McPherson
Fiona Morrison*
Wanyi Pei
Catherine Reynolds (’62)*
Jason & Bickie Lam
*repeat donors
Head’s Message
BY WILMA JAMIESON
“Growth Mindset” is a premise discovered by world-renowned Stanford University psychologist
Carol Dweck following decades of research on achievement and success.
According to Dr. Dweck, in a “fixed
mindset,” people believe their
qualities are fixed traits and that
talent alone creates success. However, in a growth mindset, people
believe their abilities can be developed through dedication and hard
work. A growth mindset thrives on
challenges—it’s about stretching
oneself to learn something new and
being open to new opportunities.
According to Dweck, this passion for
and love of learning and discovery
create a resilience and perseverance
essential for constructive action,
essential for success.
So you might ask, what are the
characteristics of a school community with “growth mindset”? First,
the ability to focus and reflect on
the processes that bring about success or threaten growth describe a
school with growth mindset thinking.
Following a year of consultation with
stakeholders throughout our community, our renewed Strategic Plan,
approved by the Board of Governors
in the fall of 2014, sets the groundwork for QMS to embrace and
engage in growth mindset thinking.
The message that resonates clearly is
that here at QMS, we value passion,
dedication, growth and learning. We
are open to new ideas and possibilities. Using our foundational values
to guide our behavior, our strategic
goals challenge us to step out of our
comfort zones, to work collaboratively with each other, and create an
educational experience for all that
will prepare students for university,
for higher education and for life.
Second, “growth mindset” schools
thrive on challenge and see setbacks not as evidence of inability,
but as a springboard for growth
and stretching existing capacity. It
is a school culture where administrators, teachers and support staff
collaborate with their colleagues to
strengthen their own practice, and
in doing so, enhance the learning
experience for their students. It is a
setting where staff truly believe that
all students can learn and succeed
and take pride in their many accomplishments. Parents are supportive
of their children both inside and outside the classroom and partner with
teachers to ensure their children are
being challenged and putting forth
the effort needed to grow. Students
are enthusiastic, hard-working, motivated and have a voracious appetite
for learning. For alumni, being challenged isn’t merely confined to their
time at school, but embraced and
sought out throughout life.
Within these pages, you will find
a variety of voices belonging to
students and staff who share their
thoughts, their passions and their
mindset. Alumni offer a glimpse into
their world beyond QMS, highlighting
both challenges and opportunities.
All exhibit “growth mindset” thinking: all are taking charge of their
own success through determination,
hard work and being open to new
ideas. When we speak of accountability, of measuring our progress, of
demonstrating growth, what could
be a better testament to our success
here at QMS than these voices?
I am confident that the school’s
vision of being accomplished lifelong
learners making positive impacts
in the world is moving in the right
direction.
Congratulations to all on another
successful year!
CONNECTIONS 1
Some highlights from this year’s
annual QMS Arts & Culture Salon,
held each May in Founders’ Hall.
Contents
4
QMS Values
35
Service Highlights
6
Strategic Plan
36
7
Vision and Mission
8
Working in an
Ebola Diagnostic Lab
in Sierra Leone
The Future of QMS
10
37
Service Day
Promoting Critical Thinking
11
38
12
Academics Highlights
Celebrating Cultural Diversity
through Community
Outreach
14
Our 2015 Graduates
39
Letter from the
President of OOMA
16
The Year in Sports
40
Alumni Updates
17
Triumph through Courage
47Reunions
18
Courage in the Spotlight
48
19
Fine Arts by the Numbers
20
Letter from the
Director of Development
& Alumni Relations
Learning in Another
Language
49
Gala 2015
22 Boarding Life Highlights
50
New Awards
24 A Day in the Life of a
Competitive Equestrian
Student
51
Community Events
52
Letter from the Chair,
QMS Parents’ Association
26
Equestrian Highlights
53 QMS Parents’ Association
28
Junior Chapel
54
Unless otherwise noted,
photos taken by shortcreative,
Hayley Picard and Queen Margaret’s
School photographers. Students and
staff are identified by their 2014-15
grade and position/title.
29
Making an Impact
Message from Chair and
Board of Governors
30
Family Traditions
31
Honouring our Past
32
Driven by Safety
Design, Art Direction: shortcreative
33
Keeping Students
Safe Online
34
Why I Serve
Editor: Leanne Schultz
The compilation of this issue was
a team effort and we thank all
contributors.
Articles may be reproduced with
written consent from Leanne Schultz,
at [email protected]
56
Financial Report
57
Annual Fund Report
Values
When the Founders established Queen Margaret’s School in 1921, self-reliance, honesty, good
manners and respect were paramount. These principles are no less relevant today. Indeed, in
a rapidly-changing world, it is important to continue to remind ourselves what anchors us—the
values that guide our behaviour and decision-making.
Intellectual
Curiosity
At Queen Margaret’s School, we are
resilient, innovative and solution-focused
learners who ask thought-provoking
questions and challenge assumptions.
Diversity
At Queen Margaret’s School, we
celebrate our differences with a
sense of curiosity and compassion
as we advance our shared futures.
Accountability
are committed to monitoring and
measuring our goals and fulfilling the
commitments we make to others.
4 CONNECTIONS
Safety
Integrity
take responsibility for the impact
of our decisions and actions on
others.
protect the welfare of others and
provide an environment where we are
safe to be individuals and learners.
Service
At Queen Margaret’s School,
we live our values by seeking out
opportunities to be generous
and of service to others.
Legacy
we honour our traditions and
history as part of who we are.
Courage
we challenge ourselves to do
the right thing, to stretch
beyond our limits, and to
inspire others to do the same.
LEFT TO RIGHT:
Megan Kruger (Grade 6)
Melinda Kruger (QMS Parent)
Dylan Kruger (Grade 6)
Fiona Morrison (Grade 6 Teacher)
CONNECTIONS 5
Our New Strategic Plan
Our 2013-14 school year was characterized by consultation and development of a strategic
plan that reflected the shared wisdom and vision of our community.
In its articulation, a course has been
set for our centenary in 2021 and
beyond that will challenge us to
reach our collective potential with
courage and resilience. It celebrates
our ability as a small independent
school to be adaptive and flexible,
and acknowledges the powerful
strength of our community. Above
all, it reinforces the values and character upon which the school was
built, and inspires us to innovate
while we continue a legacy of excellence in education.
The formal launch of the 2014-2021
Strategic Plan to the QMS Society
at the AGM in November 2014 signalled a call to action for the board
and staff of our School. As a result,
the 2014-15 school year has been
6 CONNECTIONS
characterized by action: now is
the time to start delivering on the
strategies and goals identified and
bring our strategic plan to life. For
many, that has meant mapping the
strategic plan to our daily activities,
connecting our values and setting
priorities for the years ahead.
Throughout the pages of this
magazine, you will read the voices of
students, alumni, and our staff—the
people of Queen Margaret’s School.
Each individual shares a unique
perspective on the school and its
impact on his or her life. Each article celebrates and showcases our
achievements throughout the year
and how, through their successes,
members of our community live the
values of Queen Margaret’s School:
Intellectual Curiosity, Courage,
Diversity, Accountability, Integrity,
Legacy, Safety and Service.
In keeping to our commitment to
accountability, you will also find a
series of metrics placed throughout
the magazine, quick hits that track
our accomplishments. These measures not only trace our progress,
but energize and challenge us to do
more in the years ahead.
Without our dedicated staff and
Board, hardworking students,
devoted alumni and enthusiastic
parents, we would not be able to
even begin to achieve the goals
and outcomes of our Strategic Plan.
We’re off to a great start!
A Unifying Vision and Mission
When we embarked on developing a new strategic plan for Queen Margaret’s School last year,
one of our priorities was the creation of renewed and unifying vision and mission statements
for our school which reflect our current reality, yet honour the foundations upon which our
community was built.
was reflective, collaborative and
generative. Together, we (the staff,
students, parents, alumni and Board
of Governors of Queen Margaret’s
School) have developed two guiding statements that are a true
reflection of our entire community.
We now find ourselves planning
for a future that promises to be
dynamic and challenging, filled with
many successes and the creation of
positive and enduring relationships.
According to author Jon Gordon, a
unifying vision statement needs to
capture the essence and spirit of
the organization and come alive in
the hearts and minds of everyone
in our community. By being clear,
energizing and compelling, a unifying
vision statement becomes something all members of our community
can share with words and reinforce
through actions. By reminding everyone what the school stands for,
the vision statement acts as the
North Star that keeps everyone on
track. It is the school’s inspiration.
A successful mission statement, on
the other hand, is deceptively simple:
it needs to define the present state
of the organization, answering the
question of why we exist. It needs
to reflect the values that anchor our
actions and beliefs.
The crafting of these renewed
vision and mission statements for
QMS was a substantial undertaking
and we are pleased with the results.
However, what we are most
proud of is the process—one that
Our Vision
Our Mission
We are accomplished lifelong
learners making positive
impacts in the world.
As a globally-minded community, Queen Margaret’s School
provides enriched educational experiences and unique programs
that prepare students for university, for higher education, for life.
CONNECTIONS 7
The Future
of Queen Margaret’s School
The Campus Master Plan showcases a strong vision for the future of the QMS campus.
One key area of focus in the QMS
Strategic Plan is to build the future
of the school. The Campus Master
Plan, created in 2012, guides our
campus and facilities development,
embracing a learning environment
that provides enriched educational
experiences. This plan provides an
overall physical framework for campus growth, evolution and renewal.
Designed in four distinct phases, the
plan is a sequential, yet flexible outline for growth, shaped by academic
program needs, equestrian program
needs, residential program needs
and environmental sustainability.
To learn more about the Campus Master Plan or the Equestrian Centre
Upgrade campaign and how you can help us build for the future, contact:
With the completion of the Learning
Centre in 2014 and the expansion
of our playing field that same year,
Phase One of the Campus Master
Plan is now complete. We now turn
our efforts to our second phase and
invite the QMS Community to share
our vision.
Tracy Arden
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
& ALUMNI RELATIONS
[email protected]
8 CONNECTIONS
After the second phase of the TLC is complete, with
new music and art classrooms, four new residence
towers (in the background) will replace Geoghegan
and Denny Halls, providing comfortable, modern
accommodations and gathering spaces for our
boarding students and Residence Staff. A new Fine
Arts Hall will anchor the heart of the campus.
Founders’ Hall will be
upgraded to provide a
state-of-the art fitness
facility for students
and staff, and training
opportunities for our
student athletes.
Equestrian Centre Upgrades
Queen Margaret’s School enjoys a
well-earned reputation as Canada’s
leading equestrian boarding school.
Our goal is to become internationally recognized for an equestrian
program that is accessible and
inspirational to riders of all levels. To
achieve that goal, it is essential that
necessary upgrades to the Shirley
Burr Equestrian Centre take place.
Each year brings an increasing number of students interested in riding
at QMS, from beginners to competitive riders. To continue to effectively
balance the needs of novice riders
with high performance equestrian
training, and to allow each and every
QMS student the opportunity to
learn to ride a horse, a more efficient
layout of our Equestrian Centre with
upgraded facilities is required.
CONNECTIONS 9
Promoting Critical Thinking
When problems arise out on
the playground, the students
brainstorm ideas back in
the classroom and then use
critical thinking criteria to
decide on the best course
of action. Examples of the
criteria are:
Is it safe?
Is it fair?
How would others
feel about it?
Will it work?
Whether exploring new
concepts in the classroom,
navigating the playground,
or even trying new lunch
options in the cafeteria,
the spirit of discovery that
guides critical thinking in
the Primary Centre also
guides our students to
when confronted with
making decisions in their
everyday lives.
10 CONNECTIONS
in our Primary Classrooms
BY ELLEN ARNDT, ALYSSA DZHEVELEKYAN, PATTI SMALL, AND YVONNE SNOW
The concept of critical thinking has been around since the time of
Socrates. But how do you teaching critical thinking and habits of the
mind to young children who are also busy grasping the fundamentals
of literacy and numeracy, all the while learning how to engage and
connect with their peers in a positive and compassionate manner?
At Queen Margaret’s School, this means creating a caring environment where kids
feel safe to express their ideas free from judgement. It means designing activities
where we practice critical thinking, which is defined in the Primary Centre as the
ability to use criteria to make decisions. For example, a teacher may pose a question to the students that requires their thoughtful opinion, based on their prior
knowledge and ability to analyze detail, such as, “Would it be better to live in a
castle or a tree house? Why?” The children would learn to evaluate, by comparing
each option and applying their previous knowledge, to form their conclusion.
Another activity we have implemented at the Primary Centre is participating in
purposeful discussions about specific characteristics of critical thinkers. For example, the students would have previously discussed the quote,“Successful people
try different ways to solve problems. They think of different approaches,” (taken
from a program promoting the habits of mind for children). At the QMS Parents’
Association Easter celebration, for example, groups of students were given a stick
of spaghetti, some tape, and a marshmallow and challenged to work together to
build the highest freestanding tower possible…with the intact marshmallow on top!
Both in and out of the classroom, students in the Queen Margaret’s School
Primary Centre are regularly challenged to apply their critical thinking and problem
solving strategies.
BY ALISON O’MARRA ARMSTRONG
The world is changing rapidly and exponentially. In fact, Raymond Kurzweil, noted Futurist and
Director of Engineering at Google, tells us that the 21st century will experience 20,000 years of
progress (at today’s rate), not 100!
So how do we educate for the future?
And more importantly, what competencies will the next generation
require for a global economy that
has yet to be defined? In 1758, the
very first transatlantic telegraph took
over 17 hours to transmit; today,
we can share information around
the globe in mere seconds. Upon
reflection, it is not hard to see how
important thinking skills, such as creativity, innovation and self-reflection
will be for our students. Correspondingly, educational institutions
like Queen Margaret’s School are
expanding their missions to include
universal lifelong learner confidence
and competence.
The research about how we learn
is clear: no two students are alike,
and rote memorization of facts will
not help our children apply their
understanding to real world contexts. Even skills themselves require
the competency to use them. The
National Association of Colleges
and Employers surveyed over 200
employers about their priorities for
new hires—not surprisingly, they are
looking for candidates who are team
players and problem solvers, and
who can prioritize their work and
express themselves well verbally.
As faculty, we are committed to
creating a culture where students
“possess the skills and abilities to
realize their potential and meet
life’s challenges.” This is why Queen
Margaret’s School has embarked on
a journey to support our learners
through the development of critical
thinking and strong habits of mind
across grades, from Kindergarten
through to Grade 12. Using critical
thinking challenges that encourage
learners to go beyond simply “knowing,” students are encouraged to
employ thinking competencies such
as inquiry, analysis, inference and
problem solving. With this, they will
be able to make reasoned judgments and find answers to 21st
century questions that may
not yet have a solution.
Working in partnership
with the Critical Thinking
Consortium in Vancouver,
QMS faculty have spent
the past year learning how to reshape their instructional practice
to integrate habits of mind and
establish a tone in their classrooms
which communicates what it means
to think deeply and richly about the
world around us. For students to
effectively engage in critical thinking,
they must be able to think reflectively about their world, to approach
new information with curiosity,
open-mindedness, perseverance
and intellectual courage.
Indeed, Dr. Carol Dweck, a leading
researcher in the field of motivation, tells us that the 21st century will
belong to the passionate and resilient learners. There is little doubt
that these are the skills that a 21st
century Queen Margaret’s graduate
will possess.
So what will your child’s homework look
like with this focus on critical thinking?
It may be as simple as asking our students to look beyond
what they simply see and hear. For example, if I asked you to
identify the villain in the classic fairy tale of the Three Little Pigs,
what would you say? Is it really the wolf? Or was he framed?
Is there another side to the story? How do we know?
CONNECTIONS 11
12
Scholastic
110
competitions entered
Off-campus field trips
William Gibbs won 1st in BC in the
and experiential
Canadian Scholastic Achievement
learning
activities
League’s
Challenge.
The third time
in(ranging
five years
a QMS
student
has
from
Britannia
Mines
won
the provincial
title. Outdoor
to beach
explorations,
Education to Chinatown)
3
40
Kichijo, Japan • Bundai Sunagmai,
Japan • Los Alcaparroff School,
Bogota, Colombia
(ranging from Mr. Organic to Green
Thumb Theatre, “Love the Skin
You’re In” to Geneskool)
Guest speakers and
special presentations
International
school visits
ACADEMICS Highlights
SENIOR SCHOOL
First in Class
Grade 8:
Winter Koyote 94.4% average
Grade 9:
Sierra Tanner 95.2% average
Grade 10:
Gabriela Delgado 94.5% average
Grade 11:
Angela Wang 95.6% average
JUNIOR SCHOOL
Top ranked school
in the Cowichan Valley
In the top 5%
of BC Elementary Schools
SENIOR SCHOOL
In the top 3%
of BC Senior Schools
Top ranked school
on Vancouver Island
Fraser Institute Report 2013-14 rankings
36
Percentage
of students achieving
Honour Roll Grades 6-12
(86% or higher)
39
Percentage
of students achieving
Merit Roll Grades 6-12
12
Scholastic
competitions entered
William Gibbs won 1st in BC in the
Canadian Scholastic Achievement
League’s Challenge. This is the third
time in 5 years a QMS student has
won the provincial title.
and Achievements
93
Percentage of Grade 12
students taking a Math 12 course
JUNIOR SCHOOL
65
Straight “A’s” Award
Percentage of students
in Grades 11 and 12 taking
two or more science courses
Megan Tuck (Grade 5)
First in Class
43
Sharai Cooper (Grade 6)
Jasleen Grewal (Grade 7)
Percentage of students
in Grade 12 enrolled in two or
more Humanities 12 courses
42
Percentage of
students
enrolled in one or
more Modern Language course
(French, Japanese, Spanish)
2
Introductory
Language & Culture
courses taught in Junior School:
French (Kindergarten-Grade 7)
Japanese (Kindergarten-Grade 3)
Areas of study:
Accounting
Art & Design
Aviation
Business
Biology
Criminal Justice
and Public Policy
Digital Media Design
Economics
Engineering
Received over
$250,000
in scholarship offers
OUR GRADUATES for 2015
SENIOR SCHOOL
Lifers’ Awards
presented to graduating
students who have attended
QMS for 6 or more years:
Madison Cattral (2009)
Olivia Austin (2007)
Claudia Major (2008)
Karlie Castle (2003)
Tiana Lawless (2005)
Governor
General’s Award
Karlie Castle
(Head Girl): 95.1% average
top academic student in
Grade 12 (average of all
classes taken from both
Grades 11 and 12)
14 CONNECTIONS
Equine Studies—Farrier
Fashion Design
Food & Nutrition
General Sciences
Humanities
Information Technology
Math
Pharmacy
Political Science
Sociology/First Nations Studies
Theatre
100% UNIVERSITY ACCEPTANCE to the following universities:
Capilano University
Centro Univeritario Mexico AC
University of Guelph
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Instituto Marangoni (UK)
McMaster University
Mount Allison University
University of Nottingham
Pace University
Queen’s University
Queen’s University, Bader
International Study Centre
St. Francis Xavier University
University of Toronto
University of British Columbia
University of Alberta
University of Victoria
Vancouver Island University
Western University
JUNIOR SCHOOL
14 junior teams
3 1st place cross-country finishes
1 ISA boys soccer B gold
1 undefeated boys basketball team
1 Island elementary school
girls swim championship
24 first place track & field finishes
SENIOR SCHOOL
11 senior teams
2 Island senior swim
championships
1
1
provincial bronze cross
country medal (Madison
Heisterman competed as
a senior, even though
she’s only in Grade 9)
provincial gold 800m medal
(Madison Heisterman,
Junior Division)
The Year in SPORTS
Celebrating
Excellence
in Athletics
The Green Sports
Champion Trophy
(for Grades 4-7)
Ben O’Malley
(Grade 7)
The Quinlan Cup
for Sportsmanship
(for Grades 4-7)
Skye Koyote (Grade 7)
Senior Athlete of the Year
Mckaylee Catcher (’15)
Junior Athlete of the Year
Kelsea Sebastian (Grade 10)
Spirit of the Royals Award
Antonia Spiteri (’15)
16 CONNECTIONS
Sports offered
Badminton
Basketball
Cross-Country
Field Hockey
Golf
Soccer
Swimming
Track & Field
Volleyball
Triumph
I’m really proud to have won a
gold medal at the BC Summer
Games last year. It felt amazing
to stand at the top of the podium
in my hometown.
through Courage
BY ANDREW YOUNG
In 2014, Madison Heisterman (Grade 9) became
the first ever provincial track and field champion from Queen Margaret’s School. Not only
did she capture the gold medal running in the
1500m, but she also won the silver medal in the
800m in 2014 and the gold medal in the 800m
in 2015.
While Madison’s success came as no surprise to anyone
who has seen her compete in cross-country races or
other track and field meets over her time at QMS, perhaps
the most remarkable feat was that she was competing
above her age group against athletes who were two years
older. The courage Madison displayed in track and field
in 2014 built her confidence considerably. Two months
later, she won three gold medals at the BC Summer Games
in the 800m, 1200m, and 4 x 400m relay, respectively. Her
time in the 1200m race set a BC Summer Games record!
Later in the summer, she captured the silver in the 800m
at the North American Track and Field Championships in
Hershey, Pennsylvania.
In the fall of 2014, Madison, again competed above her
age group; however, this time it was in cross-country,
where she competed at the senior level against Grade 11
and 12 students. Madison placed 4th in the province. In
her upcoming races, Madison will be competing against
university level athletes at the University of Washington
and at two collegiate level track meets in Los Angeles.
When she is not running, Madison is very involved in the
QMS Equestrian Program. She participates in the Train
to Compete program on her horse, Hershey’s Kiss, affectionately named after the host city of the North American
Track and Field Championships. As Madison’s confidence
builds, she continues to remain humble and enjoys spending time with friends as much as she enjoys running. With
the 2015 track and field season underway, the QMS community is excited for Madison and very proud of her many
accomplishments and bright future.
CONNECTIONS 17
Courage in the Spotlight
BY MARTINA BLAKE AND LEANNE SCHULTZ
In our focus on student-centered learning, the Fine Arts Department at Queen Margaret’s
School works in concert with the other departments in the school to deliver innovative and
unique programs that focus on developing the whole person.
In our Junior School, specialist art
and music teachers integrate fine
arts into Primary and Intermediate
curriculums. In our Senior School,
the Fine Arts Department offers
over 28 specialized courses, including Advanced Placement Studio Art
12, Orchestral Strings: Music Theory
& Composition, and Acting: Theatre
Performance.
In addition to helping students
discover and nurture their artistic
talents and creative potential, as
well as develop a lifelong enjoyment and appreciation of the arts,
fine arts education is essential for
helping students to further develop
fundamental thinking skills. In their
2007 book, Studio Thinking: The Real
Benefits of Visual Arts Education, Lois
Hetland and Ellen Winner found
that the arts help students learn to
“envision,” or in other words, “think
about that which they can’t see.”
These skills are not only valuable in
the music, visual art, or drama classrooms, but also in other academic
streams. In science, for example,
the ability to envision means
developing stronger hypotheses
18 CONNECTIONS
for experiments. Novel studies in
English courses and history textbook
descriptions are made so much
richer when a student can envision
the events that are described.
For Hetland and Winner, however,
one of the most valuable benefits
of arts programming in schools is
what they call “studio habits of the
mind.” Building upon how students at
QMS are encouraged to think critically and challenge assumptions,
students in our arts classrooms celebrate creative risk-taking. In fact,
mistakes are a necessary component
of the creative process. Students are
taught to have the courage to fail,
to examine their actions, and to try
again and again in the spirit of experimentation. In addition to technical
skills, students learn how to assess
performances or works and provide
constructive feedback with empathy.
Fine arts classrooms become safe
spaces for students to challenge
themselves, to stretch beyond their
limits, and inspire others to do the
same.
This year, the QMS Fine Arts
Department mounted a mainstage
production that was a collaboration between the Drama, Music and
the Visual Arts Departments, and
spanned both Junior and Senior
schools. Fame Jr. students from
across the school spent six months
of rehearsal time, taking risks
together and demanding the best
from each other. Grade 11 girls
were paired up with Grade 5 boys
to develop believable characters
and relationships. English language
learners earned themselves lead
roles in the show and pushed
themselves daily to speak, sing and
think in English. Behind the scenes,
students embraced new skills as
they learned how to design and
build sets, paint backdrops, design
the lighting, and accompany the
actors with musical performances.
The result was a sold-out show that
garnered much acclaim not only at
the school, but throughout the community. More importantly, however,
by participating in this production,
students collectively challenged
themselves to push beyond their
limits and realize excellence in themselves and each other.
4
Specialist teachers
87
Percentage of
in Junior School
• Visual Arts (Grades 4-7)
• Media Arts (Grade 7)
• Music (Kindergarten-Grade 5)
• Band (Grades 5-7)
Senior School students
enrolled in one or more
Fine Arts course
6
Community art showcases
(Kindergarten-Grade 12)
• Arts & Culture Salon
• Elders Portraits Mural
(at The Station, Duncan)
• Portals Gallery
• Independent Schools Art Show
• Just Jake’s Restaurant
• Government Street Banners
FINE ARTS by the Numbers
45
Students in Grades 5-12
were members of the
Fame Jr. cast & crew
Cowichan Music Festival
36
Senior School students
GWILYM MORRIS MEMORIAL AWARD
Grade 2 & 3 class won the
for Best Choral Speaking
(and chose to donate their
winnings to the SPCA)
participated in the
New York City Fine Arts Trip
25
Performance opportunities
for music students
• Junior School music classes
• Chapel Choir
• Jazz Choir
• Concert Band
• Strings Orchestra
• Rock Band
The vocabulary of school is
hard enough for most people
—hypotenuse, paradox,
synthesis, discourse are just
a few course-specific words
our students encounter on
a daily basis. Now imagine
learning these concepts in
another country, in another
language. This is a challenge
that many Queen Margaret’s
School students face every
school year.
Learning
in Another Language
BY DEBORAH COOK, SUSAN CRUIKSHANK AND CELINA MASON
As an international boarding school, QMS welcomes students from
over a dozen different countries annually.
These students for whom English is a second or third language are known as
English Language Learners (ELL). Most of these students enrol in our Senior School,
but as Duncan becomes a destination for more international families, some of
our Junior School classes have recently been enriched by the addition of international students as well. No matter what their age, these students bring with them
unique life experiences and traditions, adding further depth and diversity to the
classrooms and residence hallways of Queen Margaret’s School.
For the staff and faculty of QMS, our aim is to create a learning environment
where differences and diversity are celebrated with a sense of curiosity and compassion, and where students feel safe to explore, make mistakes and thrive as
learners. Students who join us from around the world are offered English language
learning through an individualized ELL program. In many cases, these students
have met the stringent academic requirements of QMS and have strong records of
achievement in their home countries. However, the personalized model at QMS
recognizes that the academic needs of these students are not the same; the
diverse nature of students from many countries and backgrounds results in a
mosaic of varied life experiences, all connected by common learning needs.
One instructional strategy that QMS teachers use with great success is leveraging
students’ prior knowledge and experiences. By bridging prior knowledge with new
concepts, content becomes more meaningful for the ELL learner, and also benefits the entire class by presenting a new way of examining a problem or widening
perspectives on a global issue. For example, Grade 7 ELL students recently brought
20 CONNECTIONS
Breaking
Cultural
Barriers
a unique perspective to a Grade 7 Science unit on the environment. After looking
at various factors affecting the environment and global warming, these students
shared their knowledge of pollution in large centres in China. In the Grade 1 classroom this year, students have learned to greet each other in several languages,
including Spanish, Mandarin, and Hul’qumi’num (a local Coast Salish language). This
is one of many ways in which ELL students experience an inclusive learning environment, continuous support and the opportunity to learn hand-in-hand with their
native English-speaking peers.
Beyond the classroom, ELL students bridge academic learning with social learning in formal and informal ways. The school’s comprehensive residential program
intentionally aims to celebrate diversity and facilitate lifelong friendships. Room
assignments are carefully made so that girls from different language groups
share. This not only promotes the use of English as the primary language of communication, but also helps students bond over the shared experiences of learning
to live in a different culture. ELL students are encouraged to apply to leadership
positions through the Voices of Intercultural Perspectives (VIP) Team and share
their culture and help promote compassion, empathy, and understanding
amongst their fellow students.
No matter what the situation—formal or informal, classroom or residence hallway,
Junior School or Senior School, in the riding ring or studying with a tutor—one core
belief drives the personalized, intentional ELL programming at Queen Margaret’s
School: a commitment to creating “safe-space” opportunities not just to read and
write English, but to practice the spoken language of both academic and social
conversations so that our students can emerge as confident, empowered learners
and leaders.
Ximena Maya Chavez is from
Huixquilucan, Mexico. Xinhuan
(Lily) Li is from Hangzhou,
China. Lily likes to read and
work on her computer;
Ximena likes to hang out with
her friends, ride horses and
watch horror movies. On the
surface, these two Grade 9
students don’t have much in
common. But put them in an
international boarding school
like Queen Margaret’s, where
90 girls from 11 different
countries come together
to live and study, and the
result is an enduring, lifelong
friendship. “We may not have
the same dialect,” Lily says,
“but we speak the language
of teenager!”
It can be difficult sharing
a room with anyone for a
school year, let alone with
someone from an entirely
different culture. However,
like true global citizens,
they settle the big issues
and the small issues with
empathy, tolerance, and
communication. Both girls
had a very successful year at
Queen Margaret’s School.
CONNECTIONS 21
11
128
100
Countries visited for
recruitment
Travel days for
Admissions team
Campus tours/
family visits
90
Total number
of boarding students
14 Domestic Boarders
76 International Boarders
BOARDING LIFE Highlights
Weekend Activities
Offered/Places Visited
Local theatre and
performances (ballet, drama)
Attending hockey games
Swimming
Bowling
Skating
Movies
City Day Trips
Ziplining
High Ropes course
Whale Watching
Sightseeing
Beach Trips
Arts & Crafts classes
Cooking classes
Hiking
Rock Wall Climbing
St. George’s School
Edmonton, Whistler,
Hawaii, Victoria, Vancouver
20
Student leadership
opportunities in residence
13
7
Residence Assistants (RA’s)
Voices of Intercultural
Perspective (VIP)
team members
5Cultural Dinners
(Japan, Korea, North America,
China & Mexico)
5All-boarder
activities
5Fitness studio
programs
Residence
Shield Award
Initiated by boarding
students from the
Grad Class of ’99
Awarded to a student who
demonstrates the ability to
cross cultural boundaries
and interact with everyone
Jimin Lee (Grade 10)
11
Countries
of origin
A Day in the Life of a
Competitive Equestrian Student
BY JUSTINE CHA
With Canada’s only on-campus English riding program, QMS
attracts elite student riders from all over the world.
These students are not only accountable to the rigorous demands of
a challenging academic program
geared towards university preparation, they are also responsible for
the care and exercise of their horses.
(Some of the school’s top-level riders
lease or own more than one horse.)
As high-level performance athletes,
these students must diligently train
with their equestrian partners so
both they and their equine partners
stay at top competitive levels. All the
while, they must turn in their home
24 CONNECTIONS
work assignments on time, complete
their service hours and participate in
extra-curricular activities. If they are
off at a competition, they are responsible for completing assignments in
their spare time and communicating with their teachers for support
via email. Justine Cha is a Grade 10
whose family moved from Alberta so
she could study and train at QMS.
A highly successful competitive rider,
she has won events in Canada and the
United States this year. Here are her
thoughts on being a competitive rider:
So what does it take to become the
best of the best? There is not one thing
that makes a good rider great; there
are many qualities that are unique to
each person, but we all share the same
passionate dedication to our 1,200
pound teammates.
On competition days, I get up at
5:00 a.m. to show and don’t see my
bed until 11:30 p.m. This is not exactly
what most people call an ideal day, but
we do this in spite of all the challenges,
because quite frankly we can’t imagine
anything we would rather do. The thrill
of one amazing round is quite worth
the strenuous hours of stirrupless rides
and backbreaking work we put into it.
Organization and time management
in this kind of environment is key. It
keeps the stress level down and success
level up. Dressing and grooming for
success is what keeps us looking and
feeling great. After our merciless hours
of practicing the perfect and most effective equitation, we might as well get a
good picture in! Being able to not only
feel, but also communicate to your
horse to give them the confidence and
reassurance they need. This is your job
as a rider as well as their caregiver to
keep them feeling there best.
As competitive rider on the circuit you
have to learn to deal with setbacks—
it’s part of the lifestyle. You have to
develop the mindset that the mistakes
you made today are not failures, but in
fact lessons. Taking away something
from each ride, no matter how good or
bad, keeps you moving forward and in
a positive mindset. Being resilient and
open to learning is what keeps you and
your horse in the groove.
The reality of being competitive in
any sport is that it requires hard work,
A typical school-day
schedule for Justine
RIGHT: Justine with Equestrian Coach Brittany
Brown at the annual QMS Athletic Banquet
commitment, dedication and passion. Equestrians spend dawn ‘til dusk with
their horses, making sure their every need is met before their own. This is a sport
born out of the undying love for these majestic animals. This is not a hobby or
lifestyle for everyone, it takes a special type of person to crave 5 a.m. mornings,
messy hair and 6 hours of sleep, all for a 99 cent ribbon! Being an equestrian
may be hard but that’s what makes it a sport and I wouldn’t have is any other
way, because when I’m on the back of a horse, I feel like I can take on the world.
6:30 am
wake up, get ready
7:00 am
drive to school
7:30 am
go to barn, give horse
treats and quick brush
7:50 am
F.A.
8:08 am
Social Studies
9:15 am
Science
10:25 am
Leadership
11:40 am
Equine Science
12:40 pm
English
1:50 pm
PE: TRAIN TO COMPETE
(Jumping lesson)
3:00 pm
untack and groom and
tack up second horse
3:30 pm
hack second horse
4:30 pm
tutor session
5:30 pm
drive home
6:00 pm
eat supper
7:00 pm
do homework
8:40 pm
relax
9:40 pm
go to bed
73
Students in TTR
(Train to Ride Program)
18 Grade 4-7 students
55 Grade 8-12 students
13
Students in TTC
(Train to Compete Program)
86
Student riders
38% of our student population
in Grades 4-12 are riders
54% of boarding students
are riders
EQUESTRIAN LIFE Highlights
PHOTO: QUINN SANDERS
Kassidy Keith
2014-2015
Competition Season
4 Major Awards
• Dianne Tidball Legacy
Scholarship worth $25,000
• Alf Fletcher Equestrian Award
for Excellence in Equitation
• Pessoa Medal and
Jump Canada Medal
4 Qualifications
CET Finals, Royal West,
McClay Regionals and
ASPCA National Finals
10 Championships and
Reserve Championships
180
Average number
of lessons per week
45
Horses on campus
19 are owned by QMS
20 are owned by students
2 are leased
4 are community boarders
and Achievements
14
Competitions
5 on-campus, including the
QMS Classic Horse Show
9 off-campus, including
the HITS Desert Series in
Thermal, CA, USA
7
Clinics/Symposiums offered
• Samantha Reid
• Bill Ulmer
• Richard Keller
• Jodine Carruthers
• Barb Soley
• George Morris
• Dressage Symposium, Langley
The
Golden
Rule
x6
The ethic of reciprocity, or the
Golden Rule, can be found
in every culture in the world,
and almost every religion
teaches some form of this
basic tenant of integrity. At
QMS, the idea that we should
treat others as we would
like to be treated ourselves
is fundamental, not only in
Chapel, but in our day-to-day
interactions.
Whatever you wish that men
would do to you, do so to
them. Christianity.
MATTHEW 7.12
Not one of you is a believer
until he loves for his brother
what he loves for himself.
Islam.
Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 13
Try your best to treat others
as you would wish to be
treated yourself, and you will
find that this is the shortest
way to benevolence.
Confucianism. Mencius VII A 4
One should not behave
towards others in a way
which is disagreeable to
oneself. This is the essence of
morality. All other activities
are due to selfish desire.
Hinduism. Mahabharata,
Anusasana Parva 113.8
You shall love your neighbor
as yourself. Judaism and
Christianity.
Leviticus 19.18
For a state that is not
pleasant or delightful to me
must also be to him also; and
a state that is not pleasing or
delightful to me, how could I
inflict that upon another?
Buddhism. Samyutta Nikaya v.353
28 CONNECTIONS
Queen Margaret’s School
Junior Chapel
BY LEANNE SCHULTZ WITH INFORMATION FROM DEAN SCHNEIDER
Every Wednesday, Junior French Teacher Dean Schneider steps into
his role as the Junior School Chaplain at Queen Margaret’s School
and greets the school’s Kindergarten to Grade 7 students as they
attend their weekly chapel service.
Held in the beautiful log building built in 1934, chapel service is one of the most
important traditions of the school and provides a spiritual centre for students,
faculty and staff.
Weaving lessons and parables from the world’s religions, Mr. Schneider discusses
aspects of moral, character and spiritual development that reflect the school’s
socio-emotional programming. Topics such as sharing, forgiveness, helping others,
believing in yourself, and so on, are chosen to reinforce the importance of living the
values of the school. Diversity, intellectual curiosity, and integrity are emphasized
through the basic belief that we should all follow the Golden Rule as prescribed by
almost every world religion.
Over the last few years, Mr. Schneider has seen students become more and more
involved with chapel programming. With the Grade 7 and Grade 8 Boys classes
leading the way, students as young as Grade 2 have asked to be able to prepare
and deliver stories to their schoolmates. Choosing an appropriate story, identifying a life lesson and strategizing how best to communicate it, and public speaking
have become another opportunity for leadership within QMS. With Mr. Schneider’s
guidance, one-third of this year’s chapel services were led by students. According
to Mrs. Susan Cruikshank, Junior School Principal, “When students take the lead
and act as role models for their peers, it has a significant positive impact on their
outlook toward school.”
Making an
Impact
Grade 12 student Tara Cooper was nominated for a Schulich
Leader Scholarship. Launched in 2012, this $100 million program funds only 50 undergraduate scholarships each year,
allowing promising students up to $80,000 to pursue their
dreams and become innovation leaders in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics. Tara was selected by Dalhousie
University as their 2015 Schulich Award winner for Engineering.
Carrie Craig, Vice Principal Student Life, notes that “As a top academic student who has achieved excellence in all science courses she has taken, and
through her willingness and drive to educate our student body and inspire
younger students in the field of science, Tara is a role model in our school
and within our community.”
Here is an excerpt from Tara’s nomination application essay, which highlights some of the ways she has worked to make a positive impact in the
world during her time at QMS:
When I was a little girl, I accompanied my father (a surgeon) to work
and observed how he alleviated the
pain and suffering of his patients.
From that moment, I was convinced
that I would help people in whatever
little way I could, as long as I was
making a difference in their lives.
I have taken this aspiration into
every part of my life. After watching
a documentary about the horrible
implications of the technology on
economies, health and biodiversity, I
started a project with the help of my
Grade 11 biology teacher to promote
sustainability without GMOs. I coaxed
my entire senior school to sign a
petition which was to be presented
to the MP of our community forbidding Monsanto from entering the
Cowichan Valley. In addition to this,
I created a functioning greenhouse
featuring garden beds provided by
donations to grow food locally for
the Cowichan Valley Food Bank, supplying them with fresh produce. This
interest of mine expanded into my
volunteer efforts in transforming a
rough area of my town into a community Urban Food Forest.
Education is one of the greatest
gifts one could be given, but unfortunately it is often taken for granted.
Combining my desire to help others
and love for my education, I decided
that I wanted to share my knowledge.
In this way, I decided to start volunteering through a community project
I will continue to find ways
of helping others using the
education that I am
privileged to have through
agencies such as
Engineers Without Borders.
called Kids Teach Kids, educating the
youth of our region on the dangers
associated with online activity. The
thought of potentially saving one
child from committing suicide because of an uninformed decision was
my motivation behind the project.
Going into university presents
many new opportunities for me to
engage with a much larger community. During a tour of the engineering
building at the University of Victoria,
I spoke with a group of students using their skills to build a nanosatellite
to send into orbit later that month.
The thought of being able to do the
same thing thrilled me and I aspire
to achieve something similar when I
enter university. I will continue to find
ways of helping others using the education that I am privileged to have
through agencies such as Engineers
Without Borders. My leadership will
not be limited to my High School
years. My continuing motivation and
determination to achieve my dreams
and guide others to achieve theirs is
what will make me a good Schulich
Leader.
CONNECTIONS 29
Family Traditions
BY ELIZABETH ABERCROMBIE (’88)
To a young student, words such as heritage, legacy and service
are just that—words. They hold no meaning … yet.
To a student beginning a new journey at a school that prides itself on
traditions intended to teach young
people to be strong, independent
and self-assured, the meaning of
these lessons is still too far away to
be realized.
The Founders of QMS, Miss Denny
and Miss Geoghegan, believed in
children. They had a dream to provide an education for youth that
would leave them with the ability to
face challenges and develop their
ability to be independent, coura-
“Our Heritage Students hold a special place here at Queen Margaret’s
School. There are now dozens of students sporting the coveted “H”
pin. These second and sometimes third generation students are a
living legacy of the bonds within our community that have spanned
almost a century. Founders’ Day is one of my favourite events of year,
when we recognize our Heritage Students and their families’ on-going
connections to the school. These connections stretch across cultures
as well as generations.”
REBECCA MCKAY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS
2014-15 Heritage Pin recipients >
30 CONNECTIONS
geous, self-assured and strong.
This is what they wanted for their
students, this is what my parents
wanted for me, and now it is what I
want for my children.
Today, my three children attend
Queen Margaret’s School. They don
their uniforms as I did. I straighten
their ties as my parents did for me.
They wander some of the same
paved paths I did, and they benefit
from the traditions that I benefited
from. It is now, as an adult and a
parent, that I understand the founding principles of Queen Margaret’s
School. I now have the same dream
the Founders had over 94 years ago
and the dream my parents had for
me 35 years ago: my children will
learn self-reliance, loyalty, honesty,
good manners and respect from
their peers and teachers, from
within a high achieving school.
I did not have the privilege of
knowing the Founding women, but I
did have the privilege of their legacy,
and now, so will my children.
Honouring our Past
BY TRUDY BYERS (’56), SHELAGH BOGGS (’56) AND LEANNE SCHULTZ
“What is an archives?” That is a question that was posed to our young students this year in a
video prepared for our annual Gala. Here are a sample of answers: “It’s a whole bunch of art.”
“Umm…a cave?” “Where they put the records away.” “An Archives is where all the things from the
school and people from the school in the past are kept.”
There is no question that Queen
Margaret’s School honours its traditions and history. However, like
many bequests from previous generations, the caring and storing of
the symbols of that legacy have been
inconsistent at best. For the Old
Overseas Margaretian Association
(OOMA), a repository for the collection of memorabilia, photographs
and records that illustrate the rich
history of Queen Margaret’s School
is a vital and missing piece of the
school’s infrastructure. Since 1988,
the OOMA has been advocating
and raising money for a dedicated
archives that would properly house
129 years of history, not only of
Queen Margaret’s School, but of the
pioneering efforts of the Cowichan
Valley since the 1800s.
In 1983, Miss Denny and Miss
Geoghegan took the initiative to store
12 boxes of documents and materi-
als in the BC Provincial Archives. They
range from before the birth of Miss
Denny in 1886, with some family history to 1901 through the First World
War, years of attendance registers,
financial reports, inspirational talks
and addresses, and records and correspondence of the Old Girls up until
1963. Records and memorabilia from
1964 forward are still at the school,
and the need for temperature and
light-controlled storage is essential for maintaining the integrity of
these materials.
More important than the caretaking of these historical objects,
however, is the sharing of legacy. The
OOMA envision a space where photographs and old documents would
be catalogued and easily accessed
by current students, where old uniforms and mementoes would be on
display, and where Old Girls could
meet with each other and current
students to provide the rich oral history that accompanies these objects.
Thanks to the generous donation
of this year’s Gala attendees, the
QMS Archives project has received a
jumpstart. During the 2015-16 school
year, work will begin on a dedicated
space behind Glide Hall that will
house the School’s Archives collection.
Close attention will be paid to repurposing the old Maintenance building
to ensure moisture levels, light levels
and temperature is regulated for
the safekeeping of this invaluable
collection. Once the building is refurbished, the original documents housed
in the BC Archives will be brought
back to the campus, and the reunited
collection will represent the entire
history of Queen Margaret’s School
for all to enjoy.
The OOMA are still actively
fundraising for this project.
To make a donation to
the QMS Archives Project,
contact the Development
& Alumni Relations Office
at [email protected]
CONNECTIONS 31
When Every
Second Counts
According to the Heart and
Stroke Foundation of Canada,
someone suffers a cardiac
arrest approximately every
12 minutes in Canada.
Without rapid treatment,
most of these cardiac arrests
will result in death.
Thanks in part to a
generous donation by
alumna Lea Burburuz
(1958-1960), Queen
Margaret’s School has
purchased two portable
automatic external
defibrillators (AEDs).
Combined with CPR, the
use of an AED is shown to
increase the likelihood of
survival by more than 75%.
Placed in two central hightraffic, public areas in the
school (the gymnasium and
the Residence Atrium), these
readily accessible AEDs are an
integrated part of the school’s
commitment to protecting
the welfare of its students,
staff and community.
Driven
L-R: Cara Hallam,
Mavis Weatherbee,
France Bournazel
by Safety
For many QMS students, the face of the school is the first one that
greets them in the morning and the last one to say goodbye to them
each afternoon. It’s not their teacher, their principal, or their friends.
It’s their bus driver.
Tracey McDill, LPN, (School
Nurse), Andy Young (Junior
School Athletic Director), and
Tom Nowlin (Facilities) pose
by one of two AED devices at
QMS. All three staff members
hold a WorkSafe BC OFA
Level 2 certification. Over 100
members of the QMS staff
hold OFA Level 1 certification
or an equivalent.
32 CONNECTIONS
With a bus service spanning from Mill Bay to Salt Spring Island to Nanaimo, the
Transportation Department at QMS is an integral part of the school’s commitment
to the safety and wellbeing of its students. In addition to the regular school runs,
Queen Margaret’s fleet of buses and vans transport boarding students to and from
airports and ferry terminals. They are also vital to the school’s ability to provide a
wide breadth of experiential education experiences, transporting classes on field
trips near and far.
Pre- and post-trip checklists, daily cleaning, and regular vehicle inspections are
just some of the ways that the dedicated team of QMS bus drivers ensures that the
transportation of the school’s students is not only safe, but exceeds current federal and provincial safety legislation. But student safety isn’t just about the working
mechanics of the bus—it’s about extending the QMS environment, where students
are protected and feel comfortable to be individuals and learners, even before and
after school hours. Bus drivers at QMS work hard to cultivate and nurture enduring
relationships with students. They liaise with parents, teachers, and administrative
staff to ensure the students’ wellbeing is maintained, and are an integral part of
creating a positive school experience from start to finish.
Keeping Students
Safe…online
DOMINIC SMITH, TRACY TIDSBURY, LEANNE SCHULTZ
For a school like Queen Margaret’s, Internet technology is used daily
to help teachers and student push the boundaries of what can be
accomplished in their learning opportunities, both collaboratively
and individually.
As a boarding school, the Internet is an essential tool for communication, and
social media applications are used on a daily basis to reach out to parents and
friends all over the world.
It is estimated that over three billion people worldwide are connected to the
Internet, a medium which is growing exponentially faster every hour of every day.
Many organizations, including the United Nations, are calling on the world’s governments to acknowledge access to the Internet as a human right. Digital literacy and
net etiquette are competencies that have been identified as essential skills for our
students by the BC Ministry of Education, whose goal is to produce “capable young
people thriving in a rapidly changing world” (BC’s Education Plan, 2015). With the sum
of the world’s knowledge on the Internet, there is no doubt that the Internet, and the
applications used to access knowledge on the Internet, have become vital tools for
a school to have at its disposal.
Unfortunately, as with many tools, the Internet can be dangerous if it is not used
safely and responsibly, with respect, proper precautions and critical thinking. As
much as the World Wide Web telescopically expands access to the world and
its collective knowledge, it also serves as a microscope, highlighting unintended
actions and lack of net etiquette. Relatively unpoliced, the Internet is also a large
repository for unfiltered opinions, faulty information, and anonymous bullies and
predators.
Technology Coordinator Dominic Smith works closely with the school’s teaching staff and students to keep them updated on technological advances in the
classroom. He notes that “Far from simply using the Internet as a research or communication tool, QMS students are taught how to use the Internet mindfully and
ethically, to protect their privacy, and to think critically when accessing any online
technology.” These lessons, modeled by QMS staff, are integrated into daily classes
as students make use of tools to access and assess the validity of online information to complete daily assignments. Outside of the classroom, Counselor Tracy
Tidsbury collaborates with staff and students on providing guidance and support
to students in navigating the digital world ethically and responsibly.
At Queen Margaret’s School, safety is a key value, and the commitment of the
school community to provide an environment where students are safe to be individuals and learners does not end at the physical boundaries of the school’s campus.
Renowned
Internet
Safety Expert
Darren Laur is regularly
invited to QMS to give his
highly acclaimed Social
Media/Internet Safety
and Digital Literacy 101
presentation to our students.
With over 28 years of law
enforcement experience
with the Victoria City Police,
including work as a forensic
social media investigator,
Darren’s presentation about
using the Internet and social
media safely and responsibly
resonated with the school’s
Grade 7-12 students,
who come away feeling
empowered to continue to
make informed, smart choices
when they are online.
CONNECTIONS 33
Why I Serve
JESSICA KNELSON (‘15)
Being a student at Queen Margaret’s School means many things to me; it means challenging
yourself, excelling to the best of your ability, but most importantly, contributing to your community by providing service for others.
Since QMS’ beginnings in 1921, service has been an integral part of
each and every student’s education.
Our founders Miss Denny and Miss
Geoghegan maintained their lifelong
dedication to the Guide’s program
and taught the importance of expressing kindness and aid to others.
While Queen Margaret’s has evolved
throughout the years, this core belief
remains central. Our school motto,
Servite Fortiter (Serve Ye Bravely),
remains a daily reminder of our
founders’ selfless dedication.
As a Grade 12 student, I am able to
look back on my education at Queen
Margaret’s School and evaluate the
extent to which the service program
has impacted both my education
34 CONNECTIONS
and character. As a new member of
the Big Brothers Big Sisters program
this year, my perspective on service
and its influential capacity is forever
changed. For one hour each week,
my little buddy and I play games,
read stories, and make crafts while
building a friendship that is beneficial
to the both of us. Seeing her confidence and skills blossom throughout
the year has been nothing short of
amazing, as I know that my positive
role as both a mentor and friend has
helped her to achieve this. I believe
that my little Buddy has taught me
to become a more patient, kind, and
respectful person. Her gentle ways
and carefree attitude inspire me to
appreciate the simple things in life;
friendship, companionship, and loyalty. When volunteering our time to
others, we are not only giving, but
receiving invaluable life lessons that
have an eternal impact on the way
we treat both ourselves and others.
Through the Big Brothers Big
Sisters program and the many other
service projects I have taken part
in during my two years at QMS, I
have developed the compassion,
responsibility, and maturity that will
assist me in life after graduation.
Queen Margaret’s School prepares
their students for life in many ways,
but through their Service Program,
develops its students into conscientious global citizens.
Over 3,000
hours of service
10,684
$
completed by
QMS students
Funds raised
by QMS students,
in 2014-15, for
service organizations
Where we
volunteered our time
• Big Brothers & Big Sisters
of Cowichan Valley
• Cairnsmore Place
Senior’s Home
• Clement’s Centre Society
Thanksgiving
Food Chain
Each year, the students of QMS
form a living chain, passing food
donated in the school’s annual
Thanksgiving Food Drive to the
collection point in our historic
QMS Chapel of Queen Margaret
of Scotland. This year, we filled a
transport van full of food for the
Cowichan Basket Society.
• Cowichan Green Community
• Cowichan Therapeutic
Riding Association
• MS Society
• Pacific Northwest Raptors
• Run for the Cure
• Shoreline Clean Up
• St. Peter’s Church,
Quamichan
• Terry Fox Run
SERVICE Highlights
Murdoch Service Award
Organizations
we supported
this year:
• BC Children’s Hospital
Foundation
• Canadian Cancer Society
• Canadian Red Cross –
Nepal Disaster Relief
• CKNW Orphan’s Fund
• Cowichan Valley Basket
Society (Foodbank)
• Cowichan Women Against
Violence
• Free the Children
• Salvation Army
• Somenos Transition House
• SPCA
• Sundrops Centre for Child
Development
• Terry Fox foundation
• World Vision Foster Children
Mckaylee Catcher (’15)
Bruce Hicks Award
Annie Arden (’15)
Servite Fortiter Cup
Karlie Castle (’15)
Primary Class Helper Award
Naya Swamy (Kindergarten)
Intermediate Helper Award
Stephanie Meade (Grade 7) &
Megan Kruger (Grade 6)
Senior Graduating Class of
1986 Helping Hand Award
Angela Wang (Grade 11)
Working in an Ebola
Diagnostic Lab in Sierra Leone
BY DIANA BATE (1989-1991)
Diana Bate attended QMS for
two years from 1989 to 1991.
She currently lives with her
family in London, England, where
she works as a Senior Specialist
Biomedical Scientist in Virology
at the Royal London Hospital.
In March 2015, she travelled to
Sierra Leone, the centre of the
world’s Ebola outbreak crisis as
part of the International Medical
Corps to use her expertise and
help make a positive impact on
those suffering from the disease.
Wash your hands in bleach. Lift your shoes so that the bleach sprayer can spray the soles as
you step over the threshold into the Ebola Treatment Centre (ETC). Have your temperature
taken. Are you feeling well? Do you have any cuts or scrapes?
Walk to the changing area via another bleach foot bath, and change into
scrubs and Wellington boots. You
are now scrubbed in and can walk
towards the lab which straddles the
red zone where the patients are.
Outside it is 45 degrees, inside the
air conditioned lab it is a balmy 35.
Don a pair of gloves, a coat, a second
pair of gloves. You are now ready to
work with samples from suspect and
confirmed Ebola patients. And so
begins another day at the Mataneh
Ebola Treatment Centre outside
Makeni, Bombali District, Sierra Leone.
In 2014, Public Health England was
involved in setting up diagnostic labs
in partnership with Ebola Treatment
Units in Makeni, Kerrytown, and
Port Loko. As the initial symptoms
of Ebola are non-specific and could
be attributed to many other things
including malaria (very common in
36 CONNECTIONS
West Africa), it was important to be
able to tell patients who had Ebola
from those who did not early on to
prevent further transmission and
get them the right treatment. As the
outbreak subsides, the labs are still
important to confirm any new cases
and to ensure quick contact tracing
for any new positive case to prevent
an outbreak rebound.
When the first call for lab staff came
out in September, I was keen to go and
help, but my husband, understandably, was much less keen on the idea
of my going and leaving him in charge
of our rambunctious but adorable two
year old daughter. As time went on
however, we both realised that I could
be a big help as the work is essentially what I do everyday in my job as
a Senior Specialist Biomedical Scientist
in Virology at the Royal London
Hospital, London, UK. My boss wanted
to send one person a month, so I
applied to be a part of the March team
for a five week deployment to give us
ample time to prepare the home front
for my extended absence.
After the teary (on my part) goodbyes, the cab ride to the airport, the
realisation setting in that I was flying
into a hot zone, and an all night flight
via Casablanca, I was finally dropped
off in a hotel, told that nobody else
was staying there but they didn’t
know where to put me, with no
money, contact details, or any idea of
where I was. But everything improves
with a nap, and I was shortly united
with my lab team, and getting ready
for my first shift at the ETC the following day. And here is a good lesson
for those interested in humanitarian
work: be flexible, and go with the flow!
Using blood samples or swabs, we
test for the Ebola virus by perform-
Two consecutive negative
results is cause for
celebration.
Discharged patients
place their handprint on
the survivors’ wall,
followed by dancing
and music.
ing a diagnostic Polymerase Chain
Reaction test to amplify part of the
Ebola genome, so it can be detected
even where there is a small viral load.
We also perform a malaria antigen
test. Safety is paramount, and once
receiving the triple-contained samples and decontaminating the outer
packaging, we transfer the samples
into an isolator, which is a sealed
box with sleeves and thick gloves to
allow safe manipulation. When in the
isolator we are working with small volumes under three pairs of gloves, the
middle layer like a dishwashing glove.
We inactivate the virus so that the
sample is safe to open on the bench
where we isolate the viral RNA and
perform the PCR reaction and detec-
tion. What may take an hour in a lab
in the UK can take three with the limitations we have with the isolator plus
our safety procedures.
The work is very demanding with a
lot going on in the lab, working in the
heat with very few breaks. But it is
very rewarding, as our results enable
the separation of Ebola positive and
negative patients for treatment, and
confirming recovery. Once a patient
is confirmed Ebola positive, they are
separated and treated appropriately. While Ebola Zaire (the subtype
of the current epidemic) has a 70%
mortality rate, if patients are identified quickly, their chances of survival
increase dramatically. Once a patient
has two consecutive negative results
they are discharged. The discharge
ceremony is very moving for survivors: they place their handprint on
the survivors’ wall, then they proceed with dancing and music out to
the psychosocial team (in colourful
scrubs), which helps with re-assimilating the patient back into their
village life. It is often very bittersweet,
as many patients have lost spouses,
children, parents, and other close
family inside the ETC. But seeing one
patient leave, due to the efforts of
everybody working at the ETC, is very
rewarding.
QMS Service Day
This year, on Earth Day (April 22, 2015), the School held its first
QMS Service Day in recent years.
Students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 participated in service projects on
campus and throughout the Cowichan Valley. The school’s younger students
were well organized by Alexandra Johnston and Olivia Copeland as part of their
Grade 9 Leadership Class duties. Split into different teams, they undertook
campus clean-up and improvement projects like planting new grass, pulling
ivy and other invasive species, and cleaning up in the Equestrian Centre. These
students also participated in the creation of a mural to celebrate Earth Day.
Students in the Senior School participated in service-based outreach programs with five different community services: Cowichan Green Community, the
MS Society, Clement’s Centre, the Raptor Centre and BC Forest Discovery Centre.
Head of School, Mrs. Wilma Jamieson, notes that, “Service is such a fundamental part of our culture here at Queen Margaret’s School. Although our
students and staff are generous in their service to others throughout the
year, I can think of no better way to honour the school’s motto of “Servite
Fortiter” by dedicating this one day to service. I am looking forward to continuing this new tradition for many years.”
CONNECTIONS 37
Celebrating Cultural Diversity
through Community Outreach
BY ANGELA ANDERSEN
“Connecting the arts and education by developing mutual awareness, respect and appreciation”
is one of the fundamental goals of the Artists in the Classroom program.
This year, with help from a grant
from Art Starts and with the support
of the Duncan Business Improvement Association, students at Queen
Margaret’s School took this goal a
step further. They invited young students from Khowhemun Elementary
School to join them in the creation of
a collaborative mural that celebrates
elders, community and cultural diversity. This is the third mural that
students from Queen Margaret’s
School have created for the downtown Duncan community. Centrally
located at the home of the Cowichan
38 CONNECTIONS
Green Community Society and Duncan Cycle Therapy, the mural will
help make visible the respect our
students have for their elders. It also
recognizes the importance of sharing our experiences in a culturally
diverse community.
Grade 10-12 visual arts students
from QMS and Grade 6 students
from Khowhemun Elementary
School worked with First Nations storyteller and artist, George Littlechild.
They researched a significant elder
and creatively translated aspects
of their chosen subject in a visual
form. While the warm spring breeze
flowed through the open doors of
the art studio at Queen Margaret’s
School, the older QMS students
shared their creative expertise and
exchanged stories while working
alongside the younger visiting students. This collection of portraits
that contain symbolic references to a
broad range of diverse backgrounds
(First Nations, East Asian, Mexican,
Middle Eastern and North American)
is a lasting demonstration and
reminder of personal and meaningful appreciation of other cultures.
Message from Shelagh Boggs (Randel, ’56)
President OOMA
(Old Overseas Margaretian Association)
Another school year has come to a close, and I have just come from introducing the guest speaker for this year’s Speech Day, Jennifer Turton-Molgat (’87).
As I looked out from the stage in
Founders’ Hall on June 12th, I could
see the visible legacy created by Miss
Denny and Miss Geoghegan.
Students from my generation and
each successive class were there to
commemorate the Class of 2015
and their accomplishments. It was
the embodiment of our three-linked
chain: past with present, joining
future. What a beautiful sight to
behold!
This year’s magazine and school
theme, “Connect and Create,” holds
incredible relevance for our dedicated alumni. Over the past year,
many of you have connected by
sharing generously of your time
and energy with the school and
its present students, and in doing
so, you have created a shared legacy. Despite the fact that our Old
Girls and Old Boys range in gen-
erations, we all share an inheritance
bequeathed to us by our Founders.
On the surface, I may not share much
in common with Mckaylee Catcher
(‘15) or Jessica Knelson (‘15) (our
Grade 12 OOMA Reps), but through
our time at Queen Margaret’s
School, the three of us share the values that were embedded upon us,
and we are all dedicated to Queen
Margaret’s School.
This year, there were many opportunities for the OOMA to “Connect
and Create.” The OOMA celebrated
the Golden Anniversary of The
Link newsletter, participated in the
School’s annual Christmas Bazaar,
held a successful Old Girls’/Old Boys’
Weekend, and funded several scholarships at Speech Day. We attended
the School’s annual gala in February
and helped raise money for the QMS
Archives, which will see our precious
memorabilia and artifacts properly
housed so that they can be shared
for generations of QMS students to
come. And we awarded our annual
scholarships to deserving students
here at the school, so that they may
continue to build their own legacies
of excellence here at the school.
This year, our Grade 9 Scholarship
was named for Molly Featherstone,
the founding editor of The Link, and
celebrated her dedication to capturing the life of the School through her
observations and writing.
Although it seems as if the School
is moving forward at a rapid pace,
it continues to be anchored in the
foundations set by Miss Denny and
Miss Geoghegan. I look forward
to working with all of you over the
next year as we continue to build
our shared future here at Queen
Margaret’s School.
OOMA Board of Directors 2014-2015
President
Shelagh Boggs (Randel, ’56; Parent of 3 Old Girls)
1st Vice-President Dola Boas (Mitchell, ’59; Parent of 1 Old Girl;
Cousin of 3 Old Girls; Board of Governors)
2nd Vice-President Rita Mayer-Webb ( ’88)
Secretary Nicole Bond (MacDonald, ’88)
Treasurer Dawn Fox (Lesiuk, ’96; Parent of 2 QMS Students)
Director, School Liaison Chris Compton (Staff, 1978-present; Parent of 1 Old Girl)
Director Kirsty Grant (’85; Parent of 2 QMS students)
Director Jan Green (Staff, 1975-2004)
Director Elizabeth Abercrombie (’88; Parent of 3 QMS students)
Facebook Manager Melissa Spencer Montgomery (’84)
Editor, The Link Trudy Byers (Conibear, ’56)
Grade 12 Rep Mckaylee Catcher (‘15)
Grade 12 Rep Jessica Knelson (‘15)
CONNECTIONS 39
Alumni
updates
Where Are They Now?
BY YEAR (earliest to latest)
Sylvia Dyer (Green, Cheffins ’52) I at-
tended the opening of the QMS Pave the
Way with four members of my family. My
brick was a gift from my three sons: Ian,
Brian and Jonathan Cheffins, for my 80th
birthday, on December 28th, 2014.
Sally Passey (Gowing, ’54) My husband
Brian and I took our young grandson to
the Remembrance Day service in Saanich, and this kind lady said she would
stand behind me and keep the wind off
(it was very windy and chilly). I said to her
that I remembered those far-off days
when we used to march down to Duncan in our Guide uniforms and it was
always bitterly cold. She said “Where did
you go to school?” Well, QMS, and she
went there too! Dawn Hamer, who went
to QMS in the 70s. I am not sure of her
married name. They live in Saanichton!
Made my day!”
Jill Alexander (Diespecker, ‘56) Notes
that the Class of 1956 has a history of
connecting on a regular basis. “Over the
past few years we have had gatherings
and reunions at many venues—Victoria,
Maple Bay, Nanaimo, Gabriola Island,
Bowen Island and West Vancouver. In
this way we consider ourselves unique.
40 CONNECTIONS
For the past three years we gathered
at the summer home of June Stoebner
(White) in Maple Bay – her family home
which she had redesigned and renovated
so beautifully. So we were shocked and
deeply saddened to hear of her sudden
death on February 8, in Maui, a place
she and husband Don dearly loved. We
all purchased QMS Pave the Way legacy
bricks for placement as a group in the
dedication pathway for The Learning
Centre, the new Intermediate School
building. Our 60th Anniversary of Graduation is next year and already plans have
begun for a BIG Celebration! The unique
bond that has been established amongst
us will carry on!”
Linda McQuirter (Glanfield, ’56-‘57)
Attended QMS in Grades 2 and 3. “I loved
QMS. It gave me a great deal of skills that
I have utilized throughout my life. I was
married at 18 after leaving school before
my Grade 12 graduation. I returned to
school as an adult in my early 30s. I then
went on to complete two degrees at the
University of Windsor in Ontario. I worked
as a Social Worker for 30 years in various
agencies, finally retiring from Children’s
Aid Society of London & Middlesex in
London, Ontario, on January 4, 2013. My
husband and I will be celebrated our 50th
wedding anniversary on May 28, 2015. I
plan to visit QMS and bring my 10-yearold niece to visit the beautiful school that
I have so many great memories of. I will
show Jade, our 10-year-old great-niece,
the memory path with her greatgranddad’s and my memory brick.”
Charlene Smith (Lyon, ’58) Lives
in Ottawa, and felt a little isolated from
QMS, but then I met two people that attended QMS at one time and they live in
my building! Weather is very cold here,
and I find the older I get, the more I dislike
the cold. I attended QMS when both Miss
Denny and Miss Geoghegan were there
(1953- 1958). What a great foundation to
my life!
Ginnie Sims (Laird, ‘65) visited the
campus in June 2015 with her daughters
and granddaughters. She told the story
of her father, who was an Air Force pilot. “He was killed in December of 1956
in (at that time) the worst airplane crash
in Canadian history. He worked for First
Spice Mixing Company and was travelling
on business (as a passenger, he never
was a commercial pilot) from Vancouver to Edmonton. The plane went down
on Mt Slesse near Chilliwack with 150
people on board. It took months to find
the wreckage and due to the dangerous
terrain, no recovery was attempted. The
area was declared a perpetual cemetary.
He was 42. I was 4 and my sister 10. The
window was installed in his memory soon
after I got to the school, although I am
not sure of the date. St. Christopher was
chosen because he is the patron Saint
of travellers and the window also shows
an airplane and the Canadian Air Force
insignia.”
Cristina Porter (Duncan, ’65) I have
been married to the love of my life for 44
years, son Andrés (married) lives in Puerto Rico, daughter Cristina (engaged) lives
in Atlanta, Ga. USA. I started studying alternative therapies when I was 54 years
old and got my Master´s Diploma just
after my 60th birthday. I live with my husband and six dogs (rescued) near Mexico
City. Now I work with my patients and I
belong to a group of ladies (mature, or
as I say, wise) and we are protecting the
trees, land and water. I am very proud to
be on the Board of the Basin of the River
Balsas (Cuenca del Rio Balsas), a river that
runs through 8 states in Mexico and gives
water to Mexico City and other important
cities. A message for the young: follow
your heart and be open to all changes.
Lori Barekman (’78) brought her fam-
ily to BC in August to visit friends from her
days at QMS. Once her family returned to
California, she went to the mainland to
run in the Fat Dog 120 Ultra-marathon
from Keremeos to Manning Park. This
48-hour race takes participants through
scenic but rugged parts of the interior of
B.C. Cheryl Fraser accompanied Lori for
part of the second half of the race. “Fat
Dog was a tough but beautiful run and I
finished in much better time than I could
have hoped. Lots of great people, views,
fun and not a lot of sleep.” Shortly after
returning home to California, Lori and
her family were on the outskirts of the
earthquake that hit northern California
on August 24, 2014. She said, “We just got
jolted around a little!”
Gillian Walden (Lawrence, ‘80) I have
been extremely busy for the past year
with my wedding last September 2013
at Christ Church Cathedral and the funeral of my mum in July 2013. I have an
Assistance Dog, trained to respond to my
epileptic seizures. I feel that QMS taught
me to believe in myself and strive for
what I wanted to do in my life. I had the
best time as a student at the school with
a couple of very special teachers.
Judith Bisiker (’81) I am excited as I
start my Eventing again next month...
After a 20-plus-year break, it should be
interesting to see how I spring back into
form. (Judith owns Bronte Creek Equestrian Centre in Carlisle, ON.)
Heidi Nold (Gregg, ’81) I attended
QMS for two years and left in 1980. I returned to Washington to graduate high
school in 1981. I regret not finishing at
QMS but I am grateful for the two years
that I did attend. I am married and live on
property in Ridgefield, WA, with horses,
dogs and cats. I am a rural mail carrier
with the US Postal Service. QMS was
a memorable experience, and given a
choice, I would choose to go again.
Jennifer Spencer (’82) Jennifer is a
graduate of the National Theatre School
in Montreal QC and has been working as
an actor, director, playwright and theatre
educator since 1990. She is currently on
Faculty at MacEwan University in Edmonton (Theatre Arts Programme). When not
at Grant MacEwan, Jennifer also teaches
Advanced Acting for The Citadel Theatre
School and chairs the board of Workshop West Theatre. Jennifer is a multiple
Sterling award Nominee for her four part
adaptation of the novel Maggie- Now. A
national tour is in the works. Jennifer’s
recent acting credits include, Kitty in
Spokesong for Theatre Prospero, Blood
Opera (Arts Alive Festival), Gertrude in
Hamlet and Lady Capulet in Romeo and
Juliet ( Theatre Prospero ). Other credits
include: Medea, Jewel, Pentecost, The Fever and The Country in Her Throat (Studio
Theatre) and Wit (The Citadel Theatre).
Melissa Montgomery Spencer (’84)
Melissa is a graduate (honours) of the
Professional Theatre Department of
Dawson College, Montreal, QC, and has
been acting professionally since 1993.
Melissa has performed in Vancouver at
12 Minutes Max, Dancing on the Edge,
Nijinsky Jibber Jazz, The Fringe Theatre
Festival and the 2000 Women festival, a
festival of one woman shows, which she
also produced. Melissa began acting in
TV and film in 2008. Recent film and TV
credits include: Rogue, the 100, and the
Seventh Son. Recent commercials include: Old Spice (voice), Planters peanuts,
Kraft Mayonnaise, and GE. Melissa has
returned to the wonderful world of riding
and horses and loves it!
Elizabeth Cottam (’84) I have such
good memories of my time at QMS. It
was such an amazing change from public
school—acceptance and encouragement
from everyone, and not having anyone
make fun of me for reading all the time!
Kirsty Grant (’85) Kirsty lives in Shawni-
gan Lake with her husband Devon and
two sons, Alexander and Dane, who are
both current QMS students. Kirsty coordinates the new Cowichan Regional
CONNECTIONS 41
Visitor Centre where she enjoys meeting
visitors from around the globe and sharing the beautiful Cowichan Region with
them. “It is fun being on campus as a parent, participating in the development and
growth of a school which I have been a
part of for over 30 years.”
Elizabeth Abercrombie (’88) Is now
teaching Elementary School in the Cowichan Valley.
Rita Webb (Mayer, ‘88) Has two chil-
dren 5 and 7 years. She is on the OOMA
Board and works as a consultant in Victoria.
Nicole Bond (MacDonald, ‘88) Has
two daughters 7 & 10. She is on the
OOMA Board and GM of Affinity Guesthouse in Cowichan Bay
Erin Watkin (Bell, ’95) Mechanical Engineer. “I have degrees in BSC (Geophysics)
and BEng (Mechanical) and currently work
for an acoustics company. Every day, I
am involved in a lot of interesting things
from product design to dynamic modeling of oceanographic moorings. Recently
I got married and had a baby (the greatest engineering project I ever had). We
currently reside in Nova Scotia and love
it out here! The years I spent at QMS had
a very positive effect on my later life. My
peers taught me what real friendships are
all about. Caring teachers that challenged
and pushed me far beyond my own expectations was exactly what I needed to
develop that tenacity required to succeed
at anything in life.”
Christopher Linn (‘95-‘99) successful-
ly completed his studies at the University
of Victoria and received his BA in Recreation and Health Education.
Amy Lau Shuk Yee (’00) After graduat-
ing from QMS, I went to Toronto for my
42 CONNECTIONS
Interior Design study and now I am living
in Hong Kong, running my own interior
design firm. We are also a sole distributor
in Hong Kong for an import Italian Kitchen brand—Ernestomeda.
Amanda Malthus (’01) and her husband have recently moved to Edmonton.
Caitlin Bloom (’05) Graduated from
Mount Royal university in Calgary AB with
her bachelors in nursing. She is working
as a registered nurse at an assisted living
facility for seniors. “I absolutely love working with seniors and feel so privileged
to be able to care for them in their final
years of life. I also have a beautiful family,
my son Owen is 6 and my daughter Payton is going to be 2 in July! I am excited
to one day bring them out to Duncan so
they can see where I went to school, and
hopefully one day my daughter will attend QMS as well!”
Barbara Cole (’05) After graduating
from QMS in 2005, I went on to study
vocal performance and earn a Bachelor of Music from UVic. I then went on
to Glasgow to attend the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and graduated with
two Masters Degrees in Music, Opera
with Distinction and Vocal Performance.
I have been fortunate to win many grants
and awards, which have allowed me to
continue to pursue my passion for operatic performance around the world. I am
very much looking forward to returning
to Vancouver Island in August for performances in the Cowichan Valley before
moving to Germany to begin my career
in opera.
Sarah Wilson (’05) Has a BFA in acting
from UBC and is obtaining a BEd from UVic
to teach drama & French in high school.
Ben Coull (’97–‘05) was selected to be
part of the Canadian National Rowing
Team that travelled to Gravelines, France,
last September to compete at the World
University Rowing Championships. Ben
was in the Men’s Eight and won a Bronze
medal with his teammates. Following his
success rowing with the Canadian Team
at the World University Games, Ben
helped the UBC Men’s Eight to win the
Bronze medal at the Canadian University
Rowing Championships. Ben graduates
from UBC with an Engineering Degree
in May 2015 and is working for Ballard
Power Systems in Vancouver.
Ciera DeSilva (’08) Following gradua-
tion, I went on a short cultural exchange to
Mexico through the Rotary Club and discovered a love for the Spanish language.
Upon returning, I attended Mt. Allison
University and graduated with a major
in International Relations with minors in
French and Spanish. I then went on a six
month trip to Peru with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
I worked alongside teachers in the slums
there and it was life altering. I returned
to Peru again for another 10 months and
was hired by Dwight International School
in March 2015 for a project assisting
them with their short term students from
Mexico and Columbia. I’m excited to be attending UBC this fall to pursue my BA Ed!
Jessye Brockway (’03-’08) recently
competed in the International Wheelchair
and Amputee Sports Federation’s World
Championships at Stoke Mandeville in
England. A fourth-year student at Trinity Western University in Langley, Jessye
won Gold medals in Discus and Javelin
and Bronze in Shot Put. She trains four
times a week in Victoria and hopes to
make a senior team for the Worlds next
year and then participate in the Pan Am
Games. (Jessye, now 21, was born with
a dislocation in her hips and has only
been doing track and field for one year!)
Denise Luk (’09) I graduated from
McGill University in June 2014 with my
Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Science. I’m now working as a registered
dietitian in Hong Kong.
Liz Mayo (’09) graduated from UBC
with a BSc in Biology and hopes to attend BCIT this fall for Diagnostic Medical
Sonography.
Robin Younie (’09) is excited to have
successfully completed her Bachelor of
Education from VIU. She attended her
convocation in May 2015 and is looking
forward to teaching this September.
Zoey Froemgen (’10) is excited to announce her engagement to Cheyanne
Chubb. The couple plans to marry on
September 5, 2015, in Edmonton, AB.
Lili Gonzalez (‘11-‘12) has just finished
her first year in medicine at Universidad
Anahuac in Mexico City.
Neve Leem (’11) is excited about work-
ing with Southwest Airlines this fall as
part of her school internship. She will
complete her studies at Embry Riddle
Aeronautical University in May 2016 with
a degree in Aeronautical Engineering.
Ivy Tang (’11) successfully completed
her Civil Engineering degree at the University of Toronto in June 2015.
Bryanna Terlien (’11) is attending VIU’s
WEST program and is working at the library.
Kevin Marr (’03-’12) is going into his
final year of studies at GISS (Grade 12)
and then hopes to attend UVic for their
general social sciences studies.
Nikki Larson (’12) just graduated
from Equine Science majoring in English
Horsemanship from Olds College. She is
doing her practicum with Ashleigh Charity (a coach and rider from Vancouver
Island) at New View Stables.
Ethan Milne (’14) and three cousins
were recipients of the Silver Medal for
Bravery for the year 2014, acknowledging
rescues involving significant acts of bravery. The medals were awarded by the
Lifesaving Society (BC & Yukon Branch)
on March 29, 2014, at the Fairmont Hotel
Vancouver, and presented by Lt. Gov. of
BC, The Honourable Judith Guichon, and
MLA, Burnaby North, Richard Lee. [Photo
Page, #5] The near-tragedy occurred in
August 2013 at Kalamalka Lake in Vernon,
BC, when Ethan (age 13 at the time) and
his cousins rescued three people from
the water after their canoe capsized.
STAFF
Chris Compton (Food Services/
Residence) retired in 2014 from Food
Services—where she was employed from
1978—and moved over to Residence
Support where she is enjoying working
directly with the girls.
Sarah Day (Residence Staff) successfully completed her B.Ed. from Vancouver
Island University.
Margaret Davies (Madame; Retired
‘98) is enjoying life in Trawsfynydd, Wales,
and is very involved in the local community.
Joy Huntley (Walker; House Mother,
‘37) has moved in with her daughter in
Courtenay. She will be 93 in April. “I have
moved from the Kiwanis Village in Courtenay and am now living with my eldest
daughter Irene whose company and care
I am enjoying. My two sisters are still go-
ing strong; Doreen Ursula Lewis (90) is
in a care home in Grand Prairie, Alberta,
near her son and his family, and Phyllis
King (95 in May) lives in a suite in her son’s
house in Maple Ridge, B.C. Every Tuesday
morning I still work in the pantry of the
United Church here in Courtenay and I
enjoy the fellowship and serving coffee
and cookies to anyone who drops in.”
Brian and Lily Anne (Grady) Millar
(Faculty) have purchased a house in the
Cowichan Valley.
Mario and Angela Magon (Faculty)
are doing well in the Yukon. Angela wrote:
“We have a small, but growing school and
the love of our community, which is mutual. We just did the Terry Fox run today
and raised a bunch of money for cancer
research. Last week Mario and I took our
high school kids to Dawson for a weeklong rural Yukon student conference. So
much fun! We have bought 47 acres of
oceanfront in Nova Scotia as an investment for our future.”
Tom Nowlin (Maintenance) Tom
successfully passed his Level 2 First Aid
course which is incredibly difficult. It is a
thrill to have another qualified first aid
attendant on campus to assist when
needed!
Eileen Peltier (Faculty, House Mother, 81-04) is enjoying a busy retirement.
Hayley
Picard
(Administration)
Leanne
Schultz
(Administration)
successfully completed her Graduate Certificate in Professional Communication
Management from Royal Roads University in June 2015.
successfully completed her Graduate
Certificate in Strategic Human Resources
Management in June 2014. She passed her
CONNECTIONS 43
National Knowledge Exam in June 2015 in
support of obtaining her Certified Human
Resource Professional designation.
Marnie Turner (Jackson, Residence,
’80s) says that she always enjoys the
updates on the growth and continued
success happening at QMS. “It is hard to
believe that it has been thirty-five years
since I held the Dean of Residence position. Boarders now would likely be
surprised to see old photos of their
“rooms” with the flowered curtains instead of doors, etc., and photos of the
“Old” school building. What memories!
I enjoyed the lovely article on Phoebe
Spurgin but I had forgotten about Michael, the School dog. I remember going
with the Grade 12 class on a Saturday to
enjoy a picnic/afternoon visit on Thetis
with her. It was a beautiful day and I will
always remember Noveda’s devotion to
Josephine, the house cat owned by Mrs.
King, and Lyn Hargood’s Murphy and Jan
Green’s Peanut. I wonder if there are any
pets on campus now?”
Karen Wristen (Residence) success-
fully completed her Community Support
Worker certificate from Vancouver Island
University.
BIRTHS
Tom and Crystal Nowlin welcomed
son, Adam on September 15, 2104.
James and Patricia (Tish) Loudon
(Walton, ’00) welcomed daughter Char-
lotte Grace Walton Loudon on January
19, 2015. They presently live in Toronto.
44 CONNECTIONS
OUR DEEPEST SYMPATHIES
Darien (’91) and Rowan Allan’s,
mother, Adrienne, passed away on September 1, 2014.
Ms. Martina Blake (Senior Drama &
English Teacher) lost her grandfather
in February 2015.
Lea Buburuz (Sinclair, ’58-‘60) passed
away on July 21, 2015. Lea was a strong
supporter of Queen Margaret’s School
and the OOMA, and hosted the Vancouver Strawberry Tea for many years.
Gill Dunlop (Riding Teacher, late
’50s) died in January 2015.
Kristanne Fearn passed away on
March 10, 2015, tragically and unexpectedly. Kristanne was the daughter in
law of Syliva Dyer (Green, Cheffins, ’52)
Kristanne was survived by her husband,
Jonathan Cheffins, and daughter, Chloe
Cheffins.
Paddy Jeffers (House Mother) died
peacefully at her home in Victoria, BC, on
March 1, 2014.
Norah Peta King (Denny, ‘46) April
1928–May 2015. Norah, always known as
Peta, was the niece of Norah Denny and
the sister of Wendy Smith (nee Denny).
She died peacefully of cancer at the home
of her daughter Rachel in Invermere, BC.
Peta had three children, Rachel, Katherine and Keith. Peta was Head Girl, Captain
of Field Hockey and Tennis. She played
in the Bridgman Matches many times.
Among other awards, Peta was presented with the Sportsmanship Cup. She was
well travelled and was a regular church
goer. At the age of 50, she decided to
train as a Nurse and graduated as an RN
at the same time as her daughter!
Mrs. Lily Anne Millar (Grady; Teacher) lost her mother Lillian Elizabeth Small,
peacefully in her sleep in Victoria on February 5, 2015, in her 93rd year.
Yvonne Nelson (Scott, ‘50s) died in
January 2015. She really put QMS on the
map for riding in the 50s. She came to
QMS as the Drama teacher, then went
back to England to take her BHS exam,
returning to QMS to teach the riding program.
Grace “G” Emily Norton (Longbourne, ‘34) passed away on March 4,
2015 at 99 years of age. She attended
QMS from 1930-1934.
Dawn Richards Cross, step-daughter
of Rosanne Richards (Idiens, ’61) and
sister of Yvonne Snow (Kindergarten
Teacher), passed away at her home in
England on September 29, 2014.
Vivienne May Robertson (Neel, ’37)
passed away in Qualicum Beach on June
17, 2015. Her daughter Gay mentioned
that Vivienne had many wonderful memories of her time here at QMS and spoke
fondly of them right until the end—including helping digging out the pool!
Vivienne was married to James Robertson for over 60 years and had 2 children
Gay and Neel. She had had a wonderful,
healthy life and was 95 years when she
passed.
Dean Schneider (Faculty) lost his father in June 2014.
June Stoebner (White, ’56) died
suddenly on February 8, 2015, in Maui,
Hawaii, a place she and husband Don
dearly loved.
Alumni Profiles
Olivia Boudreau (Kral) (1987-1990)
I attended QMS from 1987
to 1990. After graduation in 1994,
I went on to study at the University
of Victoria. I started a career advertising with local media groups
and launched my own promotional
company specializing in product
launches. In early 2007, my husband
and I welcomed our daughter Kaiya
into our lives and decided it was a
time for a career change.
In 2008, I teamed up with my childhood friend, Emily Clements, to start
Adage Studio. Over the past seven
years, we’ve grown from our original
location at the Glenora Hall to our
next location on Duncan Avenue,
and finally to our new studio on
Government Street. In this short
amount of time, we have seen our
past students carry on to pursue
careers in the performing arts. Past
students have been accepted to the
Canadian College of Performing Arts,
Brown University Dance Program,
The Source Dance Company and
most recently one of my past students has been performing as a
back up dancer on the X-Factor UK.
We’ve grown our business from
just the two of us to 17 employees.
We offer classes for children starting
at 18 months and carry on teaching
students who are well into retirement. It has been great to see the
joy of music and movement shared
with such a vast range of students.
Continuing education is extremely
important to both Emily and I, and
over the past few summers we
have continued training from some
of the industry’s top professionals
in New York, Los Angeles and Las
Vegas. In 2013, we were awarded
a Black Tie Award from the Duncan
Cowichan Chamber of Commerce
for Business Achievement (11-19
Employee Category) and we were
also nominated for the Vancouver
Island Business Awards.
In 2012, Emily and I gathered some
like-minded individuals together
and started the Cowichan Valley
Performing Arts Foundation, which
fundraises and grants bursaries to
help youth in the Cowichan Valley
who are held back for financial reasons from pursuing their dream of
studying the performing arts.
Emilie Carpentier (’12)
I have just finished my third
year at Queen’s University in
Kingston, ON. Upon complet-
ing my studies at QMS I came to
Queen’s to study physics, which interested me throughout high school.
After I finish my undergrad I hope to
continue my studies at grad school
in Medical Physics, specifically in
radiation therapy.
This summer I am staying in Kingston
to work for SNOLAB, an underground
physics laboratory located in Sudbury,
ON. My research will be conducted
at the university and I will have the
opportunity to travel to Sudbury on
a few occasions. The project I work
for at SNOLAB is called PICO, which
is designed to detect dark matter
particles called WIMPS.
One aspect of PICO is called PICO
60, a quartz chamber filled with a
superheated fluid. If a WIMP passes
through the fluid, it will produce a
bubble that can be detected by a
camera. One of the main issues with
dark matter detection is that background radiation from the universe
also produces bubbles similar to a
WIMP. This is why the laboratory is
located in an underground mine, to
try and reduce the amount of radia-
tion reaching the bubble chamber. I
am really excited to be working for
SNOLAB this summer and for the
opportunities to study such an interesting topic as dark matter.
CONNECTIONS 45
exceptional aromatic whites, expertise in crafting quality Pinotage, and
its flirtatious red shoe label. This
year, we released our Ward’s Hard
Apple Cider, in memory of my grandfather, Ward.
When I’m not busy at the winery,
I’m the mother of two very energetic
girls, and an avid equestrian show
jumper.
Jennifer Turton-Molgat (’87)
Since graduating from QMS
in 1987, I went on to pursue
a B.A. and B.Ed. from UBC and UVic
respectively. After pursuing a teaching degree for seven years, I returned
to the family business. In 2006, I had
the opportunity to start a winery on
my family’s property. I had always appreciated fine wines and recognized
the huge growth and opportunity
in the wine industry throughout the
Okanagan Valley. My vision and inspi-
ration for the winery is drawn from
my family’s passion for the land as
pioneering orchardists and agriculturalists since 1922.
As President of The View Winery,
I oversee all aspects of the winery’s
operations, including vineyards,
cellars, sales, marketing and guest
services. I’m proud to say that The
View Winery has become one of the
Okanagan’s most tasted and visited
boutique wineries, renowned for its
Jennifer was invited to be this
year’s speaker at the June 12
QMS Speech Day Ceremonies.
Josephine Chen (’97)
After graduating Josephine
established the International
Student Scholarship, which is
awarded on Speech Day each year.
The purpose of the scholarship is to
encourage international students to
46 CONNECTIONS
break through the language barrier,
and integrate into a different culture in pursuit of making a positive
impact in the world. As the school’s
first international student to hold the
Head Girl position, Josephine continues to inspire other international
students to discover their talents,
realize their potential, and pursue
their goals.
“During my time at QMS, I was
actively involved in the equestrian
and athletic programs and was a
member of the concert band and
the Chapel Choir. I graduated from
QMS as the Head Girl in 1997, and
was awarded the Governor General’s
Award for that year.”
“I obtained my Bachelor of Applied
Science degree in Chemical Engineering from University of Toronto in
2001, and earned my Master of
Business Administration degree from
Schulich School of Business in 2009.
After graduating from the University
of Toronto, I began my career in the
engineering consulting field, specializing in equipment/system design
& analyses for the nuclear power
generating industries. I obtained my
Professional Engineer designation
(Ontario) in 2005 and am currently
a Senior Engineer at an engineering
consulting company, leading various
design projects. “
“Outside of work, I enjoy spending
time with my husband and raising
my two little boys, aged 3½ and 1.
I also enjoy practicing karate and
judging diving competitions. I hold
a fourth-degree blackbelt in karate
(conferred by Karate Canada) and
am a certified Provincial Level II
diving competition judge in Ontario.”
Reunions
Class of ‘56
The year was 1956—Grace Kelly became a
princess, Doris Day sang “Que Sera, Sera, ” the
first episode of “As the World Turns” was broadcast on television, the Winter Olympics took place in Italy, and Elvis Presley
scandalized the world when he performed “Hound Dog” on
the Milton Berle Show.
The Graduating Class of 1956 is gearing up to celebrate
their 60th reunion next May at the OOMA weekend (May 7-8,
2016). All members of the class of ’56 are asked to contact
[email protected] to be put in touch with reunion organizers. Don’t miss out on the fun!
BACK: Susan Boulton (nee March), Sherrill MacLaren (nee
McBean), June Stoebner (nee White), Luella Donk, Mary Farris
(nee Larsen), Trudy Byers (nee Conibear), Signe Jurcic (nee
Lang). FRONT: Maureen Wallace, Marion Massey (nee Petter),
Miss Dorothy Geoghegan, Shirley Brewer (nee Grey),
Jillion Alexander (nee Diespecker).
Class of ‘86
The year was 1986—Tom Cruise took our
breath away in Top Gun and Ferris Bueller
showed us all how to take a day off from school. What
would Headmaster Hill have said? Whitney Houston,
Peter Cetera and the Pet Shop Boys ruled the charts,
and 7.5 million people held Hands Across America.
The Graduating Class of 1986 is calling all members
to their 30th reunion. Don’t miss out on recounting
the glory days of high bangs and neon accessories!
All members of the Class of ’86 are asked to contact
[email protected] to be put in touch with reunion
organizers. This is one you don’t want to miss!
BACK: Alice Henshaw, Angela Reitsma, Shelley O’Rourke, Masley Yahya,
Stefanie Svensson ROW 4: Deborah Morriss, Nikola Matthews,
Silya Wiggens, Cynthia Miller, Cindy Lee, Suzanne Rowsell
ROW 3: Michelle Gerrior, Lesley Lim, Colette Linton, Melinda Kwok,
Henrietta Fang, Patricia Lamont ROW 2: Martha Martin, Barbara Horner,
Kelly Butler, Desiree Irwin, Lise Jensen, Jacqueline Schuurmans,
FRONT: Elaine Liu, Catherine Gossett, Michelle Mitchell, Barbara Waters,
Kathryn Hamilton, Joanne Fraser *QMS apologizes for any incorrect
identification; students are identified by their maiden names.
CONNECTIONS 47
Letter from the
Director of Development
& Alumni Relations
Alumni Events
2014-15
CANADA
Calgary
September 9, 2014
Victoria
September 21, 2014
Duncan
November 2, 2014
Montreal
January 28, 2015
Courtenay
March 29, 2015
CHINA
Shenzhen
October 12, 2014
Shanghai
October 15-17, 2014
Beijing
October 18-20, 2014
Hong Kong
October 13-14, 2014
2015-16
The Development & Alumni
Relations Office is planning to
visit Vancouver, Victoria, the
Okanagan, Calgary, Thermal,
CA, and China in 2015-16.
Connect with us at
[email protected]
48 CONNECTIONS
What an exciting year this has been for the Development & Alumni
Relations office! Over the past year, I have made many connections
with alumni and families of Queen Margaret’s School (past and present), showing off our beautiful facilities and demonstrating how we
are continuing to grow and evolve. I have also had the opportunity
to travel near and far to connect with alumni.
In my interactions with QMS families and alumni, I am continually in awe of their
support and love for Queen Margaret’s School and the enduring values that have
been stamped upon them. It is a pleasure to invite them to share our vision for
the school’s continual growth. This past year’s fundraising initiatives, including the
Annual Fund drive, have attracted tremendous support, and I want to thank everyone for their contributions.
On February 21, 2015, QMS hosted its annual Gala and raised an amazing $70,000.
In addition to providing funding for upgrades to the Equestrian Centre, funds were
also targeted for the creation of an archives at QMS. On May 29, 2015, the School
partnered with Dana Hospitality LP (the school’s Food Services Provider) to host a
wine and food pairing, and to announce the winner of the FIAT Pop! Draw. Proceeds
from the car raffle allowed the school to purchase essential software for our library
system. Another exciting initiative that the Development & Alumni Office introduced this year holds special appeal for our QMS community—our Pave the Way
project. This initiative was launched in the spring of 2014 and officially unveiled on
Founders’ Day, October 29th, 2014. Anchored by bricks honouring Miss Denny and
Miss Geoghegan, this beautiful pathway connects our new Learning Centre with
Rowantree Hall.
Many alumni, current staff and students have already named a brick as way
to leave their legacy at QMS, with the proceeds going towards various campus
renewal projects at the school. Bricks can be ordered through the Development
& Alumni Relations Office; the cut off dates for ordering this year is September 25,
2015 (for our Founders’ Day Unveiling in October 2015).
In closing, I would like to thank you, the entire QMS community, for your continued support as we work together to provide enriched educational experiences and
unique programs that prepare students for university, for higher education, for life.
We couldn’t do it without you!
Gala
Led by emcee Daphne Good
and professional auctioneer,
Crystal Campbell, the event was
a resounding success. A special
thank you to the 2015 Gala Committee for the tireless hours spent
securing donations for both the
silent and live auctions.
ABOVE (LEFT TO RIGHT):
Kirsten Watt, Jennifer Elliott,
Susan Quackenbush, Celia Meade,
Tracy Arden, Lindy Kruger,
Jennifer Pelton, Tammy Gurski,
Dina Holbrook, Heather Bartfai
SEATED: Mary DeLury, Lori Johansen
In addition to bidding on
silent and live auction items,
attendees were invited to
make direct donations to the
QMS Archives and Equestrian
Centre upgrades. QMS thanks
the following generous
donors:
Tracy & Glen Arden
Mary & Don Bahen
Nancy Wilson Becerra &
Juan Becerra
Shelagh Boggs
& Per Aargaard
Trudy Byers
Crystal Campbell
Carmen & Guy Carpentier
Stephanie & Mark Gibbs
Wilma & Andy Jamieson
Rachel Lawless
Rebecca & Scott McKay
Celia & Karl Meade
Rachel & Bruce Munro
Stacy & Jason Paton
Jennifer Pelton & Gord Tuck
Danie & Yves Rouselle
Rose & Neil Tanner
Stephanie & Andy Young
Xiao Yanming
Right: Colleen Alexander,
Anne Scott (’78),
Penelope Scott-McCraig
Below: Head of School,
Wilma Jamieson, and
Allan Graham of BowMel
Auto congratulate
Geoffrey Vale, winner
of the FIAT Pop! Draw.
New Awards
Planned in Memory
of Former Teacher and Housemother
Starting in 2016, QMS students in Grades
1–4 will have the opportunity to be
recognized for their love of reading or
art via two new awards:
This year, the QMS
Development & Alumni
Relations Office, with support
from the QMS PA and
community partner BowMel
Auto, held a car draw. The
winner was announced at the
White Event on May 29th.
Over $17,500 was raised
for the purchase of Destiny
Follet library management
software for the school. This
software provides a gateway
to educator-reviewed digital
content and applications that
support QMS’s classroom
technology initiatives from
Kindergarten to Grade 12.
Thanks to the support of our
community, QMS students
and staff will enjoy easy,
centralized access to our
own growing collection, as
well as online resources such
as e-books, online periodicals
and other enriched digital
content.
50 CONNECTIONS
• The Margaret Alexander Bookworm Award
• The Margaret Alexander Budding Artist Award
Margaret, who passed away in 2010, was a
primary school teacher at QMS from 1991 to
1998 who also served as a housemother. She
was known for her empathy for young people,
generous kindness, and creativity.
Margaret Alexander (1995)
“Mum always had a stack of books next
to her bed, and as for painting—well,
it was just part of who she was,” said
Anne Scott (’78), who, together with
her sisters Colleen Alexander and
Penelope Scott-McCaig, endowed the
two awards in Margaret’s name.
“She’d be so happy to know that
these awards will be encouraging and recognizing young
students at QMS.”
Mark your
Calendars for
Exciting Community
Events in
Community
20152016
Events 2014-2015
In addition to our successful Gala, the Development & Alumni
Relations Office hosted two other exciting socials this year.
Beer & Burger Night
November 16, 2014
QMS families, staff, alumni and community members had fun connecting over delicious food and drink at Just Jake’s Restaurant on a blustery night in November.
Held early in the year, this event was a great opportunity for community members
to socialize and welcome new families to the school. Congratulations to Elizabeth
Abercrombie (’88), who took home the 50/50 draw winnings!
The White Event
May 29, 2015
Dana Hospitality and the QMS Development Office hosted a food and wine pairing event that showcased some of the Cowichan Valley’s finest wineries. The event
was a hit with attendees, who dressed in white to mark the beginning of summer. Proceeds from this event, including the 50/50 draw, were put towards sports
equipment for our students. Congratulations to Julie Scurr, the evening’s 50/50
draw winner.
Beer & Burger Night
Sunday, October 25, 2015
2016 Gala
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Keep your eyes on the
school’s website for more
events throughout the year.
CONNECTIONS 51
Letter from Mary Harrison
CHAIR, QMS PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION (2014-15)
2014-15 PA EXECUTIVE
Chair: Mary Harrison
Vice-Chair: Jennifer Pelton
Treasurer: Nancy Becerra-Wilson
Secretary: Karen McIntyre
2014-15 CLASS REPS
Preschool: Lori Johansen
Heather Bartfai
Junior Cathy LaPointe
Kindergarten:
Kindergarten: Gurdeep Dale
Grade 1: Mary DeLury,
Petra McLeod
Grade 2: Olivia Boudreau
Sarah Morden
Grade 3: Wendy Leach
Grade 4: Kelly Eakins
Grade 5: Maureen Young
Grade 6: Kristin Watt
Grade 7: Michelle White
Grade 7/8 Tammy Gurski
Boys:
52 CONNECTIONS
The QMS Parents’ Association is celebrating another
successful year of fun-raising and fundraising. The
school year started with the annual PA Wine & Cheese
in September, which gave QMS parents the opportunity
to connect with school staff, old friends, and welcome
new families.
This successful evening set the tone for our year ahead, and enjoyed
one of our largest turnouts in recent years.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of our Class Reps and our PA
Executive, we were able to raise over $25,000 in the 2014-15 school
year that was donated to the school in support of various programs
and campus improvement initiatives. Our focus continues to be to
tie our fundraising in with useful items that our community would
find fun, helpful or beneficial to their lives. I know from feedback
from our students that the Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt Fundraiser on
May 22nd was a big success, and students found it quite helpful to
cool down from their Track and Field exertions with a nice cup of
frozen deliciousness!
This is my last year as the Chair of the QMS PA, and I want to thank
everyone for their support and tireless efforts to work together in
order to make our children’s educational experience all the more rich
and robust. It has been an honour to serve with such a wonderful PA.
Parents’ Association
Fun-raising
This year, the QMS PA raised over $25,000 in directed fundraising
for our school.
These funds are being allocated to a new Atom Ball Pit, upgrades to the sound
system in Founders’ Hall, and a new electronic sign for the school’s entrance.
PA BBQ
On May 31st, the PA celebrated the end of the school year with a splash. Students
and their families enjoyed a delicious BBQ lunch, games, and the seasonal opening
of the school swimming pool!
Fundraising
Campaigns
& Events
in 2014-15
Thrifty’s Smile Cards
Mabels Labels
Vesey Bulbs
Pumpkin Sale
Dinner & A Movie Night
(October & April)
Christmas Bazaar
Pointsietta Sales
Hanging Basket Sales
Menchie’s Frozen
Yogurt Sales
Unicycler
Coordinated and run by Stephanie Gibbs (the QMS Community Link Volunteer
award co-winner for 2013-14!), the Unicyler is not just a fundraising vehicle for the
PA—it’s become an essential service for QMS parents. Parents can consign gently
used uniform items and snap up bargains for their ever-growing children, all the
while helping the PA raise money to support the School. It’s a win-win!
Grad Class of 2015
Each year, the QMS PA contributes money to the Grad Class to help defray costs of
the annual graduation banquet.
Grade 7 Book Prizes
Each year, the PA purchases book prizes for exemplary Grade 7 students,
presented at the final assembly of the year.
Scholarships
Each year, the QMS PA sponsors
a merit scholarship for Grade
9 students. This year, Kira Keir
and Sierra Tanner were both
awarded scholarships, each
totalling the equivalent of 1
month’s tuition for Senior School.
CONNECTIONS 53
Message from the Chair
MR. LEIGH TAYLOR
Our revised Strategic Plan, which was developed with the input of the entire QMS community,
was approved this past year.
It sets out our way forward as we
build upon all that has been accomplished. While the plan provides
strategic direction it is important to
note that the values it identifies are
those which we have historically embraced and are as important today as
they were when QMS was founded.
These values include integrity, legacy, diversity, accountability, safety,
service, courage, and intellectual
curiosity. This issue of Connections
illustrates many of those values and
how we continually strive to ensure
that they are an important part of our
character and our decision making.
This third issue of Connections
recognizes many of the donors to
our recently revamped Annual Fund.
The success we have experienced in
annual giving as well as the support
we have received for other fundraising initiatives is most impressive.
It is impossible not to thank every
reader who has helped make this
vital support possible too often. In
addition, our alumni contribute in so
many ways by embracing our mission
and goals, participating in activities
and events and serving as role models for our students. Our parents
give generously of their time and talents to make all of our events most
successful. OOMA continues to
provide significant support and activities. With your continued generous
donations to the QMS Annual Fund
and our other fundraising efforts,
you will enable us to realize our
vision and goals and provide each of
our students with the finest education possible.
QMS Board of Governors
The QMS Board of Governors are a group of dedicated volunteers who work together and
oversee the governance of Queen Margaret’s School. They are ultimately responsible for the
strategic direction (not the management) of the school.
Chair Vice Chair Secretary Treasurer Mr. Leigh Taylor Ms. Judith Parsons Ms. Jennifer Pelton Mr. Derek Thomas Ms. Mary DeLury Dr. Mark Gibbs Dr. Vivan Kilvert ‘91
Mr. Richard Dong Ms. Serena Kolida ‘01
Ms. Dola Boas ‘59
Mr. R. Allan Gould Ms. Nancy Wilson Ms. Heidi Zealand Mr. Neil Tanner 54 CONNECTIONS
2005-2016
2008-2015
2012-2017
2003-2016
2015
2010-2016
2006-2015
2015
2014-2017
2012-2017
2013-2016
2013-2016
2013-2016
2014-2017
All day-to-day operational decisions are delegated to the Head of School,
who is hired directly and evaluated annually by the Board of Governors.
Governors do not serve any particular constituency—rather, they are
charged with making decisions that serve the school as a whole and that
best align with the school’s strategic direction. Governors serve threeyear terms and are elected by members of the QMS Society.
Each family of a student currently enrolled at QMS holds a membership
in the QMS Society. Other family members, alumni, or interested community members can also become members by purchasing an annual
membership or lifetime membership. Only members of the QMS Society
can be elected Governors. Society members who are interested in serving
on the QMS Board of Governors should contact [email protected] to
be put in touch with the QMS Board Nominating Committee.
The 2015 Annual General Meeting of the QMS Society is scheduled
to take place on Saturday, November 7th in the Learning Centre.
Accountable for Success
Serena Kolida (’01), QMS Board of Governors
Regardless of the specific path that life presents you with, accountability is an invaluable tool
that guides all of us in our efforts to grow, succeed, contribute and evolve. In keeping with that
notion, it is both relevant and noteworthy that such standards are an integral part of the fabric
of the QMS community.
As an alumnus myself, I can speak to
the success with which accountability is ingrained and nurtured within
the school. Having achieved certain
measures of success both during
and since my years as a QMS student, it seemed only natural to direct
those standards back towards the
community that has afforded me so
many opportunities. Principles such
as these are what led me back to the
school and instilled a desire to give
back as a member of the Board of
Governors, to demonstrate that who
I had become was both capable and
willing to contribute in an effective
and tangible fashion.
Whether it is through student
leadership opportunities, the commitment embodied by the staff, or
the emphasis on giving back, Queen
Margaret’s School has established
a culture that demands not just the
setting of goals and aspirations, but
a practice of doing so that requires
standards and explanations that
accompany the results. This philosophy is what enables our community
to excel in a variety of arenas, from
academics to the Equestrian program, from the Fine Arts to general
life skills.
The notion that following through
is not an option but a mandate is
what allows QMS to send graduating
classes with a 100% post-secondary
acceptance rate to the next phase of
their lives; it is what enables young
women coming from around the
world to find a place that they can
call a home-away-from-home; it is
what attracts educators who want
to inspire, who want students who
are not just bodies in a classroom,
but instead passionate about what
they are learning and who they will
become as a result.
“We are committed to monitoring
and measuring our goals and fulfilling the commitments we make to
others.”
Knowing that this commitment to
accountability has been a part of
QMS long before it was specifically
articulated is likely why it comes
so easily to the members of our
community. It is a vital part of our
strategic plan, but in all fairness, this
mentality has been an unspoken
expectation for many years, long
before I stepped foot on campus for
the first time as a 14-year-old. I feel
fortunate to be able to attest to this
firsthand, and to know that the success that comes with follow-through
and accountability is something I can
thank QMS for. I look forward to seeing our students positively impacting
the world with that exact sentiment
in mind.
CONNECTIONS 55
Financial Report
Each year, the Audited Financial Statements are presented to the QMS Society at the November annual general
meeting. The Audited Financial Statements for the QMS Society for
MAJOR GIFTS
the year ending June 30, 2014, show growth and overall stable financial
performance. The charts below summarize the information provided
over the last two years.
Over the last two years,
QMS has received four major
gifts totalling $250,000.
The school would like
to recognize the four
families whose generous
contributions will go far
in helping us improve
our campus and learning
opportunities for our
students:
Revenue
79%
83%
2014
2013
2014 REVENUE = $7,914,431
2013 REVENUE = $7,293,251
Qi Dong (Board Member)
& Shuai Feng
9%
8%
12%
Wumin Wei & Dong Wang
9%
Ping Su & Ziong Duan
Tuition & Boarding
School Fees
Government
Grants
Huaijun Chen
& Daomei Wang
Other
Expenses
62%
64%
2014
2013
2014 EXPENSES = $7,801,855
2013 EXPENSES = $7,330,571
6%
12%
Salaries and
Benefits
56 CONNECTIONS
13%
School
Operations
10%
5%
5%
4%
5%
4%
10%
General &
Administrative
Ammortization
Facilities
Other
Annual Fund Report
This marks the third year of our Annual Fund, and I am very proud of how our QMS community
has consistently and generously continued to contribute.
To the alumni, parents, Board of Governors, faculty and staff, students and community members who work with the
school—thank you for your strong, steady support of our vision.
It is a well known fact that many independent schools rely on annual funds to provide opportunities for programming that are beyond the capacity of fees. This year, I have been able to use the Head’s Fund to purchase a new AED
machine for our campus, provide experiential learning opportunities for students of all ages, invite David Friend (a.k.a.,
Mr. Organic) to our Primary Garden to inspire and educate our young students, and help our staff and faculty take
advantage of some exciting professional development opportunities.
Thank you for your contributions.
EDUCATIONAL
TECHNOLOGY
Andrew & Olivia Boudreau
Ryan & Emily Clements
Susan Cruikshank*
Dominic Smith*
Trina Sxwithul’txw
Andrew & Stephanie Young
Xiaowo Zhan & Ying Chen*
Yiming Zu & Quan Han
HEAD’S FUND
Adage Studio
Hon. Suzanne Anton (‘70)
Glen & Tracy Arden*
Ellen Arndt*
Annaliese Atkins*
Kirstin Bains*
Sandra Bakker*
Darren & Heather Bartfai*
Juan Becerra & Nancy Wilson*
Joan Blackhall (’47)*
Charles & Dola Boas*
France Bournazel
Paul Ceyssens*
Christine Compton*
Debbie Cook
Erin Coulson & Cezar Cristea
Roddy & Carrie Craig*
Susan Cruikshank*
Manj & Gurdeep Dale *
Peter & Victoria Davidson
Mary DeLury
Qi Dong & Shuai Feng*
John Dryden &
Elizabeth Abercrombie (’88)
Dr. Dan Duta &
Dina Holbrook*
Jessie Fraser*
Shiv Garyali*
Frank Gordon
Dr. Mark & Stephanie Gibbs*
R. Allan Gould*
Chad & Tammy Gurski
H&M Auto
Stefan & Susanne Hedler
Lucy Herzig*
David & Jillian Hutchison*
Christopher Jackson &
Michelle Adams
Andy & Wilma Jamieson*
Tao Ji & Meiyu Song
Xiao Jiang & Zhifang Zhao*
Leif & Lori Johansen
Cam & Maria Jones*
Cheryl Keith*
Dr. Vivan Kilvert (’91)*
Serena Kolida (’01)
James & Tracy Leung
Xinhuan Li
Linda Love*
Danna Lu*
Dexter & Celina Mason*
Heather Matson (’64)
Dave Mayo*
Scott & Rebecca McKay*
Bruce McPherson*
Sarah Mellings*
Devon Munro &
Kirsty Grant (’85)*
Carol Newington*
M. Ann North (’46)*
Thomas Nowlin*
Iqbal Parekh &
Maria de Lordes Parekh*
Judith Parsons*
David & Hayley Picard*
Maureen Poscente*
Mike & Sandra Potter*
Jianhua Ren & Min Luo
Jane Richmond*
Scott Rigby*
Dr. Kurt Ritter & Tian Hao Cai
Sue Ryan*
Chris & Leanne Schultz*
Julie Scurr*
Patti Small*
Ryan & Candice Smith*
Surjinder & Colleen Johel*
David Simpson &
Tasamine Davies (’87)*
Neil & Rose Tanner
Leigh Taylor*
Derek Thomas*
Gordon Tuck &
Jennifer Pelton*
Tobias & Deborah Staley
Hsing Hua Tso
Karen Webber*
Qian Wan & Ya Fang Liu
Yanmin Xiao & Yanming Li
Stephanie & Andrew Young*
Weiwen Zhang &
Xuehua Duan
Jun Zhao & Hui Kong*
Yiming Zu & Quan Han*
OTHER –
RESIDENCE PROGRAM
Weibing Deng & Yan Qu*
Rachel Devlin*
SCHOLARSHIPS/BURSARIES
Angela Andersen*
Christine Bone (’50)*
Graeme Campbell*
Ming Ling Chan
Peter Gosling*
Jan Green
Tze Kin Leung &
Wai Ching Yeung Leung
Virginia (Ginny) Lowrie (’58)*
Bruce McPherson
Fiona Morrison*
Wanyi Pei
Catherine Reynolds (’62)*
Jason & Bickie Lam
*repeat donors
Annual Fund
Here are just a few examples of how the
Annual Fund has benefited QMS students since 2012.
Thank you for your continued support.
QMS CONNECTIONS ISSUE 3 SEPTEMBER 2015
20142015
• Field trips
• Mr. Organic
(gardening program for Primary)
• Deer Fencing around
the student gardens
Connect and Create
ISSUE 3 SEPTEMBER 2015
• AED machine
• Professional
20122013
• Technology cart with 20
laptops for Junior School
• New curtains for Founders’
Hall stage
20132014
• Timpanic drum set
• Leadership & Service
opportunities for students
• Professional Development
for staff
• Refurbishment of
Senior School Student
Advising Centre
• Campus improvement
projects
• Professional
660 Brownsey Avenue
Duncan, British Columbia
V9L 1C2 CANADA
250.746.4185
IN THIS ISSUE
Learning in Another Language
Working in an Ebola Diagnostic Lab in Sierra Leone

Connections Magazine - Queen Margaret`s School

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